Eric and Nell: Fifty Things
by DemonClowSorceress
Summary: Another Fifty Things installment! This time describing that cute tech pair, Eric and Nell. K plus just in case. Now adding short stories for each prompt as well! COMPLETED!
1. Prompts

**Eric and Nell: Fifty Things**

**By: DemonClowSorceress**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA or the characters.**

**Another try at this fandom! Lemme know how it is!**

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#1 - Keyboard

It was amazing hearing the two analysts typing in tandem, thought the team. Like a tech's version of a piano concerto.

#2 - Sparkle

There was a glint in her eye whenever she was presented with a challenge, and he was happy whenever he was the one to put it there.

#3 - Whistle

Sometimes, when he's too busy or when he's feeling generous, he lets her summon the team upstairs.

#4 - Rapport

They have something that most established relationships will lack - good communication.

#5 - Hints

Callen and Sam see them before Kensi and Deeks can, but Hetty can see the little telltale signs of affection far ealier than anyone else.

#6 - Hacking

Their theories may vary, but the result is always the same - the job gets done. After all, they're both highly talented.

#7 - Tiny

She's small, but Eric knows that there's more to his partner than meets the eye, or else Hetty would've never brought her into OSP.

#8 - Flip-Flops

"They're the reason you can never sneak up on me," she said, pointing at the footwear with a smile.

#9 - Jealous

She tries not to show it when he talks fondly about Abby Scuito, but she knows she can't compete with the Goth forensic specialist.

#10 - Conflict

On the one hand, he really wanted to warn her about her boyfriend. On the other hand, he didn't want to ruin their friendship by admitting to running a background check on said boyfriend.

#11 - Children

Hetty feels like she's in charge of a pair of bickering children when the OSP tech center becomes a verbal war zone. Surprisingly, grounding them still works.

#12 - Fun

It was worth the long afternoon of hot sun, sweat, and engine grease to watch the garage camera footage and see Sam's face when the Charger started up by itself.

#13 - Date

"I can't believe it's been a year since I've started here," she said, touching the rose in amazement. "And I can't believe you remembered."

#14 - Secret

He's always curious when Hetty calls her away on what he's dubbed "secret missions", but he doesn't pry. If she needs his help, he'll gladly give it.

#15 - Gamble

"I told you they'd use Biscuit," he chuckled, holding out his hand for the money. She only pointed at the screen as the ruse quickly changed to Rich LA Couple, then held out her own hand.

#16 - Opposites

She's called herself "Type A with borderline ADD" and he's almost definitely a "Type B" personality. But they still managed to work in perfect harmony.

#17 - Hug

The violent images overwhelmed her, and she quickly turned to bury her face in his shoulder as his arms came up to hold her close.

#18 - Red

He's come to count on the brain and wits hidden under that pixie-cut head of hair.

#19 - Sleep

Sometimes after a overnight session of code-breaking at OSP, Eric will wake up with a blanket draped over his body and a cup of steaming coffee next to his keyboard.

#20 - Code

When the lines of letters and numbers skittered across his screen, he knew she was trying to tell him something.

#21 - Friends

It took a while, and it was rough, but the day came when Eric could truthfully call his partner his friend.

#22 - Surprise

His best friend smirked as he signed _You've totally got the hots for her _after Eric described how he couldn't look at her the same after seeing her in that dress.

#23 - Words

She frowned as she asked if 4-5683-968-65 was a code she had to solve. He grinned and said yes, she just had to figure out the secret message.

#24 - Glasses

Curious, Nell checked out his specs and almost went cross-eyed at the strength of his perscription.

#25 - Fist

"I...tripped down the stairs?" she hedged with a sheepish grin as his usually jovial face clouded with rage, his hand gently cupping her cheek just below the swollen black eye. Behind them, Sam and Callen winced as they imagined what her partner would do to her boyfriend (not that the team wouldn't offer their help).

#26 - Habits

She still finishes his sentences, but he lets her. Sometimes, what she says makes more sense than what he'd been about to say.

#27 - Hospital

It hadn't been gentle; several nasty bruises, a broken arm, and a concussion meant Eric had to stay for a few days. But the result was worth it; that bastard had cleared out of town, never to touch her again.

#28 - Pride

He'd been watching on the boathouse cameras, so when he saw Nell cross verbal swords with Chambers' director, he had to grin as she outlined the problems with the Captain overlooking Medina's intel.

#29 - Smiles

She has different smiles for every occasion, but the one she shows the least is the one she saves for him.

#30 - Rescue

Sam may have disabled the guard, Callen may have cut her loose, Deeks may have driven her back, Kensi may have helped her up the stairs - but Eric's quick thinking had ultimately saved her, and she hugged him long and hard to show just how much she appreciated it.

#31 - Relief

They shared a terrified look when the explosion blasted over the earwigs, and her hand sought his in fear. They leaned against each other, suddenly weak, when Deeks confirmed that he and Kensi were safe.

#32 - Swimsuit

He almost fell off his surfboard when he saw his partner - geeky, tiny, tough Nell - wearing a white string bikini on the beach.

#33 - Teacher

She'd learned a lot from him on the job, but when Eric offered to teach her sign language, she felt very honored that he'd want to teach her something not related to computers.

#34 - Gift

He felt his apprehension disappear when her expressive face broke into a smile as she looked up from the contents of the box.

#35 - Conversation

Before she came to OSP, he'd only had technology to keep him company. But now, he can talk to someone other than Hetty.

#36 - Unwind

Sometimes, after a long day of solving crime, the best way to relax is just to hijack the giant screen, hook up the Wii, and play Mario Kart with your partner.

#37 - Play

While they never actually needed aliases in their line of work, they still played the lying game sometimes. Most of the time, though, it was with their feelings.

#38 - Realization

Somewhere along the line, they'd found that their friendship had become something more.

#39 - Worry

It's when she doesn't finish his sentences, doesn't defend a point on something she's passionate about, or walks into the OSP without a spring in her step, that Eric feels that he has to cheer his partner up.

#40 - Ploy

She's not above using him as a way to avoid getting picked up by random guys, and frankly, he's glad she has enough taste to shoot them down.

#41 - Surfing

He looked very cool riding his surfboard in the crystal clear waters off California's coast, thought Nell as she and Kensi soaked up some rays.

#42 - Presence

They don't even have to look up anymore to know who it is - when one enters the room, the other immediately starts talking about the latest development.

#43 - Jargon

Callen and Sam stare at the hacker blankly, Kensi and Deeks share a look of confusion, but for Eric and Nell, they're listening to a master describe his masterpiece.

#44 - Bend

_It's not professional, it's not professional, _his brain screams, but his eyes can't tear themselves away from her rear as she leans over to pick up her pencil.

#45 - Ocean

They realize, while their quirky partner looks nonthreatening and almost always has a smile, there are hidden depths to their personalities as well.

#46 - Sharing

"Now now, children," Callen teased, finding them in a questionable position in a totally innocent game of Keep-Away the Keyboard, "didn't you ever learn to share your toys?"

#47 - Instant

There's an instant, almost missed, when she looks up and he looks down and their mouths are just millimeters apart...

#48 - Skype

While in New York to help out on a cross-juristictional case, she's so glad that he's always just a click away.

#49 - Cat

It was not fair, seeing her in an all-black ensemble skintight jeans, shirt, boots, and cat ears at work on Halloween. The innocent smile she gave him didn't help either.

#50 - Partners

At first, he didn't know how to deal with her and she didn't know how to work with him. Now, they can't imagine how they ever worked before without each other.

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**Kinda nice, now that I'm finished. Please review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Keyboard

**And now, amid many requests, here are the back stories for the Eric and Nell prompts! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: _NCIS:LA _is not mine.**

**Prompt #1: Keyboard - It was amazing hearing the two analysts typing in tandem, thought the team. Like a tech's version of a piano concerto.**

**Words: 437**

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The tick-tack sound of typing keyboards is a somewhat soothing sound to the NCIS team.

Yeah, it's a weird thing to say. But seriously, it's almost unreal how the sound can reassure them.

Maybe it's because of the two people who are doing the typing.

Eric Beale, Tech Operator, and Nell Jones, Intelligence Analyst.

The NCIS version of the geek squad.

Sure fingers dance across keyboards, creating the false lives that the team assumes to do their jobs. Job history, income taxes, driver's license, Social Security number, arrest records, even parking tickets - everything needed to create a person that never existed. It's a fascinating process, when the team took the time to think about it.

If aliases were clothes, Eric and Nell were the tailors, their keyboards the looms.

And man, did they do good work.

But they're not only restricted to creating legends. Far from it. Where's the fun in a one-trick pony?

It's amazing how easily a few strokes of the keys can open doors protected by encryptions, firewalls, and security protocols. Dom could do the basics, Kensi can fake do it, Deeks can't do it, Sam and Callen definitely can't do it, and Hetty - is Hetty. Who knows the extent of her tech-savvy.

But the two of them, Tech Operator and Intelligence Analyst, have this magical ability in spades. Anything that works on a microchip is their domain. Barring the premiere holy-mother-of-science-how-many-numbers-does-this-thing-have code of incredible toughness, nothing is too much for Eric and Nell.

Once, Eric broke the Internet. You can't get more awesome than that.

When those two really get going, whether creating a backstop or hacking into some highly-encrypted stuff, it's a barrage of clicks and types and tick-tack-tick of keystrokes peppered with the occasional comment from one or the other. They're like a well-oiled machine, working completely in sync.

If one can't complete the task, the other quickly takes over with a typed command.

If one completes a line of code, the other can continue with the next one.

It's like music. Techie music. The random clicks mesh together in a sort of harmony, played by two masters of the computer keyboard.

It's strange, granted.

But that's Eric and Nell for you.

And everyone knows that they're invaluable assets to the team.

After all, without those two, the NCIS OSP team would not be the great operators they were.

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**Ok then, let's get this started! Review please!**


	3. Sparkle

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #2: Sparkle - There was a glint in her eye whenever she was presented with a challenge, and he was happy whenever he was the one to put it there.**

**Words: 503**

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Eric knows what it takes to get his partner excited.

She likes it when she finds what she's looking for. Whether it's the cord for her iPod or some intel on whatever case they're working, when she finds it, she gets this smile on her face that makes her look like a kid.

She gets really fired up when she's defending her opinion on something. She's tiny, but make no mistake, this red-haired pixie will doggedly make her point against all comers. An excellent example was when she argued the importance of Lieutenant Commander Chambers's HPS information to his director; she outlined the potential risks of ignoring it, predicting nuclear threats and terrorism, and managed to make him speechless.

She _loves_ it when she's right. Eric guessed it was a female thing, being so excited about being correct no matter what about. After said confrontation with the Captain, she was practically glowing in the Ops Center with a satisfied smile on her face after Callen's small rebuke to "pick on someone your own size."

If she actually gets to work in the field - holy crap, she's over the moon. It rarely happens, but when it does, she's always ready to go with a grin. When she was able to cut power for the news vans during the whole Tracy Keller incident, it was a crowning achievement for her.

But the absolute best way to get Nell Jones excited is to give her a challenge.

_Then _her eyes light up like Christmas bulbs when the plug goes into the socket. _Then _she gets that cute determined look on her face. _Then _she blocks out everything else until she completes the challenge.

Eric likes seeing her like this. It makes her look cool, her eyes intent and focused on the screen as she keys in passwords and and keywords and lines upon lines of command code in search of her objective. Sometimes when she hits a roadblock, she gets this cute little pout on her lips and her eyes narrow, as if cyberspace was deliberately messing with her.

And when she gets really, _really_ annoyed, she starts muttering under her breath.

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"Stupid mother-of-idiots encryption with stupid viruses and stupid passcode..."

Eric smirked to himself as his partner began the muttering. "Need some help, Nell?" he asked her.

"No," she said shortly. Her eyes never left her screen as her fingers furiously typed away. "I got this."

The grin on Eric's face only widened as he returned to his own work. She'd been at this particular job for over two hours.

Challenges always excited Nell.

Challenges from _him _were usually the ones that put that special sparkle in her eye.

And man, did he love putting it there.

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**Kinda cute, right? Review!**


	4. Whistle

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #3: Whistle - Sometimes, when he's too busy or when he's feeling generous, he lets her summon the team upstairs.**

**Words: 775**

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Eric was trying to multi-task without much luck. A high-ranked Navy intelligence specialist found dead under suspicious circumstances in his home, and the phone lines were burning up with calls from the Pentagon, the FBI, CIA, and Director Vance, all clamoring to be heard first. His fingers typed in all the data he could squeeze into the mainframe, while trying to play secretary slash receptionist to almost five different people at once.

And he'd been doing this since the body was discovered three hours ago.

His partner walked into the room, took one look at his harried expression, and acted. Nell snatched away his keyboard and started sorting his entries into comprehensible categories. This freed Eric up to talk with Vance and the other agencies all asking what NCIS OSP was going to do. Once he managed to bring everybody's blood pressure down and they all hung up, he ripped off his Bluetooth headset and sank into the nearest chair, sighing in relief.

"You look just a tiny bit stressed," remarked Nell, still typing away. "This a bad one?"

He could barely muster the energy to tilt his head towards her. His glare was flat and lacking any power behind it. "DOD specialist, died with what looks like poison, bound in his home. What do you think?"

"Possible torture, ergo, a threat to national security." Nell nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty bad." Finishing up with the final touches to the case presentation, she put down the keyboard and went over to her partner. "You all right?"

"Ask me after I nap for about an hour," he grumbled, already half-asleep. "I can still hear Vance yammering in one ear and that FBI guy yelling in the other."

She winced in sympathy. "Want a few minutes to collect yourself?"

"We don't have a few minutes," he admitted, sitting up. "You wanna whistle the team up here?"

Obviously Nell hadn't been expecting this. Her green eyes widened in surprise. "You serious?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah. Give the shrill; they know the drill."

Still a little stunned, Nell turned around and left the Ops center. He heard her whistle the team up, then watched as she walked back inside. She had a little smile on her face as she said, "They're on their way up."

"Thanks," he replied, taking a deep breath to give him some strength before the team appeared.

Sometimes, he was just too tired to summon them.

So he let Nell have the duty.

He could share, sometimes.

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One of the rare days it rained in Los Angeles, Nell walked into the Mission looking like a drowned rat. Her hair was plastered to her head and sticking up in odd spikes, and her clothes were soaked. Eric happened to be walking downstairs from the Ops Center when he spotted her.

"The hell happened to you?" he asked in shock, grabbing a towel for her to use.

She gratefully took it. "Couldn't find a cab," she said, drying her hair.

His shock tripled. "So you walked here?"

Nell gave a sheepish grin. "Maybe?"

Before he could reply, Hetty materialized out of nowhere and gave Nell a stern once-over look. "Miss Jones, you're dripping all over my floor. Go into the wardrobe and change into something else for the day. Then hang your wet clothes to dry. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Hetty," Nell replied, nodding.

Eric waited until she had changed before going up to his partner. "Hey, what's the matter? And don't say nothing, Nell."

She looked up at him. "Really, it's nothing."

His lips pulled to the side in concern, but he decided not to press her. Like everyone else on the team, Nell had some secrets that she wanted to keep her own. Where was he to begrudge her some privacy?

So he said, "How about you whistle up the team?"

Her eyes lit up with pleased surprise. Without further ado, Nell leaned over the railing and let loose a really loud whistle to catch the team's attention. When they looked up, Eric waved them up, then went into Ops to set up the briefing.

Sometimes, Nell needed to feel important.

So Eric was more than happy to let her have his normal duty.

He could share with his partner, after all.

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**I recently watched episode 2x04 "Special Delivery" and giggled when Nell did the Team Summoning Whistle instead of Eric. And he was all 'WTF?' That was this fic's inspiration.**

**Review!**


	5. Rapport

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #4: Rapport - They have something that most established relationships will lack - good communication.**

**Words: 412**

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A good relationship can be based on a lot of things. Mutual feelings - it doesn't always have to be romantic feelings - can be part of it. Mutual interest can be a basis as well. A connection between people in a relationship is almost always present.

But Eric and Nell have something that can trump all of those prerequisites.

They have good communication with each other.

Of course, in their line of work, it's kinda a necessary skill. If you can't communicate with your partner in a clear and concise way, you run the risk of messing up or blowing the op.

But most steady relationships lack communication.

Couples sometimes forget to tell each other things. From small things, like picking up dry cleaning, to big things like the parents are coming over for dinner. This can lead to misunderstandings, which leads to fights, which leads to other unpleasant things.

Eric and Nell try very hard not to forget anything, big or small, that they have to tell each other.

Then again, when your job is based on the reliance of good intel and the quick relay of information, good communication is very, very important.

They have it a little easier than, say, Kensi and Deeks, simply because Eric and Nell don't keep much from each other. They talk regularly about a lot of things, and sometimes they learn as many as three new things a day about each other. Probably because, unlike the rest of the team, they haven't had a lot of need for lies in their everyday lives.

This makes them very honest people.

Sure, they sometimes argue, but they know that sometimes it can be their own fault. The stresses of their job can wear nerves down to the fraying point. But they always talk it through afterwards.

After all, when you argue with your partner, you need to resolve it pretty fast. Work is a really uncomfortable place to be when your partner is mad at you. They learned that the hard way.

Couples can lose what ties them together. They can fall out of love, lose interest in each other, or even break their connection.

They're not a real couple, but they're closer than many couples they know.

Simply because they talk to each other.

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**And it's very true, right? Review!**


	6. Hints

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA_.**

**Prompt #5: Hints - Callen and Sam see them before Kensi and Deeks can, but Hetty can see the little telltale signs of affection far earlier than anyone else.**

**Warning: a tiny spoiler for 2x21 "Rocket Man"**

**Words: 752**

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Hetty sees the first one.

It's slight, almost unseen. But then again, it's Hetty. She could have X-ray vision and not say anything about it.

It's during a routine background check of a Petty Officer who may or may not be involved in some illegal activity that got another seaman killed. They're going through his past with cyber-enhanced fine-toothed combs, searching for any ties with a dangerous street gang.

Eric and Nell type away side by side on their keyboards, when it happens. A beep, followed by a curse from Eric. Hetty isn't really been paying attention, but when she sees this, she begins to pay more attention to her pair of techs.

"Crap," Eric says, scowling a little at his screen. "I hit something."

"What?" Nell asks, glancing over his shoulder.

"Some kind of firewall." The blond man types in another command, but the beep from before repeats. "Crap!"

Nell reaches over with one hand and hits a few keys without looking away from her screen. "Does that help?"

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise as the firewall disappears. "Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem," she replies, going back to her own work. But soon she hits the a problem. "Oh, crap."

Without looking away from his screen, Eric reaches over with one hand and keys a short command in. "I hit that too, earlier."

"Thanks," Nell responds.

And that's the end of the conversation.

But Hetty sees the furtive glance that her techs give each other when their partner isn't looking.

And she smilies to herself.

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Callen and Sam catch the next one.

It's somewhat muted, but they catch it because they were sort of looking for it.

It's a few days after Eric comes back from the rocket science lab after almost getting killed in the satellite testing chamber. He's still a little jumpy and short of breath. When the door to Ops Center opens, his head whips around in shock and he looks ready to bolt.

Every time it happens, Nell is right there to lay a reassuring hand on his arm. He looks back at her, and she gives him a soft smile. If he gets really startled, she rubs his arm to calm him down.

Callen glances at Sam with a look that says, _That's new._

_He's really shaken up, _Sam replies silently. _Nell's his partner. She's just looking out for him._

His partner watches the young woman carefully. An idea comes to him, so he nudges Sam and gestures for him to watch. Being very stealthy (he can be almost as ninja as Hetty if he really, really tried) Callen edges towards the Ops door. It senses his presence and slides open. In the relative silence of Ops, it's a rather loud swish.

Not expecting it, Eric jumps in his seat, badly shocked and panicking. Nell is right there, calming him down with soft words and a steady gaze. Sam sees the dirty look she gives Callen and snickers to himself.

That ends that experiment.

But Callen and Sam see how close Nell sticks to him the rest of the day.

And they grin.

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By the time Kensi and Deeks notice, it's practically obvious.

Eric and Nell are leaning over the table as the team is drawing conjectures about the latest case. Their shoulders are touching as they bring up corresponding data on the big screen.

Then Kensi notices how close the techies' hands are. Nudging Deeks, she subtly indicates Eric and Nell's hands with her eyes. When Deeks sneaks a peek, he sees Eric's hand holding Nell's in a clearly affectionate grip. He catches Kensi's eye and gives her the loaded look of _When did that happen?_

_I don't know, _she silently admits back, _but it's so cute!_

Callen and Sam likewise notice the gesture, and they smirk at each other. They can't believe that it took Kensi and Deeks so long to notice.

And Hetty, who sees all, just rolls her eyes at her agents.

After all, she saw it first.

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**Hahaha, kinda short, but cute, ne? Review please! Up to 30 now, hurray!**


	7. Hacking

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA _and I am not a hacker. So some creative liberty was taken with the hacking terms.**

**Prompt #6: Hacking - Their theories may vary, but the result is always the same - the job gets done. After all, they're both highly talented.**

**Words: 1,218**

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They sat side by side in their swivel chairs, arms crossed, frowning at the main screen that displayed the fortress-strength code they were tackling. It had resisted all attempts at a password-cracker, a reverse break-in, and all the normal tricks of the trade. This thing made Fort Knox look like a sand castle.

The Pentagon wasn't kidding when they named it "Jericho."

Now Eric and Nell had to step back and rethink their strategy.

"We could - " he started.

"Tried that," she interrupted. She snapped her fingers. "What about - "

"Tried that too," he cut off.

Nell touched her lip in thought. "We haven't tried the back door options yet."

Eric shrugged. "Very true. But I doubt they'd keep something like a back door from us."

"It's the Pentagon," she replied.

"Good point." Flipping his keyboard open, he gave his partner a grin. "Well, wanna try something else?"

She rolled over to her keyboard and cracked her knuckles. "Let's do it."

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Hetty found them an hour later, angry and tense, jabbing random keys in an effort to strike it lucky. She smiled fondly at the pair. "Don't tell me you two are giving up already?"

Lying on her stomach, Nell dropped her head in her arms and sighed loudly. "It's hard, Hetty," she said, voice muffled by her arms and the floor. "This thing won't open up."

"We've tried everything," Eric groaned, lying on his back and looking at the screen upside-down, his keyboard resting on his abdomen. "Back doors, side doors, cracks in the firewall, software glitches, data packets. Hell, we even tried shooting several attacks at once. Nothing." Another groan shot from his mouth.

Hetty looked up at the puzzling array of letters, numbers, and symbols on the big screen. "Is there a master password you could try?"

"Say what?" they both asked wearily.

She shrugged. "Most programmers put in a master password that lets them inside past all safety protocols, don't they?"

Eric rolled over on his stomach. "Maybe," he mused. "But the Pentagon told us virtually nothing about the Jericho encryption. All they know is that they can't open it with conventional means."

Nell's head shot up. "Then maybe," she said slowly, "we should try some unconventional things."

Her partner gave a grin that rivalled the Cheshire Cat's for width. "Let's give it a go then."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ops turned into a verbal war zone.

The other techs and agents avoided that room like the plague, prompting Sam and Callen and Deeks to take bets on who would emerge from Ops first, Eric or Nell. Kensi rolled her eyes at their immaturity and headed up the steps to see what the big deal was.

She was almost blown away when the doors opened. Eric and Nell were at opposite terminals, yelling over each other in a tangled mess of voices, swears, and jargon. Kensi had to pause a moment and update her battle strategy. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she let loose an earsplitting whistle that made both analysts jump and turn in their chairs to stare at her.

"Do I have to put you two in a time-out?" she sighed, only half-joking. When they glowered at each other, she sighed again. "What's the problem? Half of OSP can hear you two going at it up here."

Eric glared at his own screen. "I think the code could be degraded to a simple alphabet-scrambled shell code that would let us crack open the network parameters and therefore let us inside the actual code."

"And I think it's a numerical sequence that's bluffing as a shell code," said Nell, crossing her arms.

Kensi looked from analyst to analyst, pretending to know what the hell they were talking about. "And why can't you try both?" she asked.

"Takes too long," said Eric.

"And Hetty wants it done yesterday," added Nell.

The NCIS agent crossed her arms. "Try both at once. That way if one fails, the other still succeeds." It seemed the simplest answer.

Having given her opinion, she cleared out fast. Even though she was a highly-trained operative, she knew when she was out of her element.

* * *

It was late that night when Hetty realized that she hadn't seen her Tech Operator or Intelligence Analyst since noon. Putting down her cup of Jade Dragon tea, the tiny woman made her way up to the Ops Center. The doors sensed her presence and slid open with barely a whisper.

The first thing she noticed was that the Jericho encryption had been broken. The information that the Pentagon wanted retrieved was on the screen, re-encrypted with a better, less complex but just as impenetrable code.

The next thing she noticed were her two techies, sound asleep at their side-by-side terminals, leaning against each other like children in a car during a long drive. Hetty smiled proudly at them and cleared her throat. "Mister Beale, Miss Jones. I trust you were successful?"

They awoke with a start, looking disoriented and unsure as to how they got in that position. Realizing that they weren't alone, Nell quickly shoved against the console and rocketed to the terminal opposite hers as Eric spun to face Hetty.

"What?" he said eloquently.

"You were successful?" Hetty repeated.

Nell typed a series of commands into her terminal. "Yeah," she said, sounding very surprised.

Hetty smiled. "And how did you crack the code?"

Eric frowned as he typed in his own commands. "I think...we both did," he said. "My code cracked the first layer, and Nell's negated the counterattacking protocols. Then it just...fell apart." He turned to stare at his partner, who was likewise astonished at the news.

Still smiling, Hetty clapped slowly. "Congratulations, both of you. Now I suggest you get home." With a last pleased nod, she left the two alone in Ops.

Still stinging from earlier insults and stiff from their naps, Eric and Nell regarded each other carefully. They knew the victory was a shared one. They knew that without their partner, the code would not have been broken.

They knew, but it didn't mean the last couple hours of rage hadn't happened.

After all, professional pride aside, they were hackers. And hackers have a code.

So, honoring that code, they locked up their workstations for the night and left at the same time.

But more importantly, they were partners. And most importantly, friends. So they parted as such at the door, him for his car and her for hers.

Nell put out her hand first. "Truce?" she asked.

Smiling, Eric shook her hand. "Truce. See you tomorrow, Nell."

"Good night, Eric," she responded with a smile of her own.

* * *

**(A.N. - had to repost due to a glaring whoops on my part. No worries, nothing was changed.)**

**This one morphed into something completely different from what I imagined. In a good way, I think.**

**A special treat for you all, in response to the luv of 36 reviews - two chapters updated in a single go! Yay!**

**Review!**


	8. Tiny

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #7: Tiny - She's small, but Eric knows that there's more to his partner than meets the eye, or else Hetty would've never brought her into OSP.**

**Words: 445**

* * *

Nell Jones is a small wonder.

For one, she's lasted far longer than any of the intelligence analysts before her. Some would say because she's become Hetty's favorite, but Eric knows better. He knows that Nell works damn hard every single day to stay on the team.

For another, she's one of the best partners Eric ever had. He'd been teamed up with other analysts in the past, but none of them had clicked like him and Nell. They complete each other, equal as a perfectly balanced scale.

But those aren't the only reasons.

There's something in that nymph-like girl that had to have impressed Hetty. No other way would she have brought Nell in otherwise. And as everybody knows, it takes a lot to impress Hetty.

Nell only looks small and weak, but Eric knows that there's more to her, something he's not privy to quite yet.

In some ways, she's like Hetty. Minus the badass ninja skills, (that he knows of) the Houdini-like ability to appear behind people without a word, (again, that he knows of) or the mysterious power to read minds (of which she's only mastered to finishing sentences). But they both possess a small stature that can fool some people into thinking that they aren't a threat.

Hetty he knows is a dangerous woman to cross. Think about it, she was an agent in the Cold War. You don't survive the Cold War without picking up a few lethal tricks and lots of connections.

But Nell is still a mystery. Eric knows very little about her aside from what she's told him.

Does she have secret skills? Does she have a gift, like Callen's almost unbelieveable ease with undercover work? Is she really Nell Jones, or is that her new identity from Witness Protection?

Okay, he's reaching.

But it's a mystery he'd really like to solve.

Then again, he likes Nell how he knows her. She's his partner, his pal, his compadre in cyberspace. Give her a name and an hour, and she can outline that person's life. She's always there to help him out with whatever mad venture the team gets embroiled on, and if need be, she can hack her way with the best of them.

She's a mysterious little pixie, but then again, she was part of a very clandestine branch of NCIS. Mystery is pretty much a job requirement.

So Eric is patient. He's got nothing but time.

After all, she's not going anywhere.

* * *

**Once again, a chapter double whammy! Enjoy and review please!**


	9. FlipFlops

**Disclaimer: _NCIS: LA _is not mine. Damn.**

**Prompt #8: Flip-Flops - "They're the reason you can never sneak up on me," she said, pointing at the footwear with a smile.**

**Words: 775**

* * *

The first day Eric didn't wear flip-flops to work was the day Nell had her first mini heart attack.

She was trying to recover some data from a water-damaged document. Turning to grab the hair dryer, she almost walked into Eric and gave a small shriek. The hair dryer dropped to the ground with a loud crash.

"Nell?" he said, surprised at her surprise.

"Gawd, Eric," she gasped out, pressing a hand over her heart. "Warn me before you sneak up like that!"

"Sorry!" he said. He picked up the hair dryer and handed it back to her. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Nell smiled. "No problem."

While her heartbeat thumped out a reggae beat inside her ribcage.

* * *

The next time it happened, she wasn't expecting him in.

He'd called in earlier, sounding like hell with a sore throat, and said he wouldn't be able to come in. Nell quickly set to work, getting all the information together for the upcoming case. After the briefing she started searching through every database known to man, finding the information she needed for the team.

She was so focused on her task that she didn't hear the doors to Ops slide open.

She didn't hear his sneaker-clad feet shuffle up behind her.

She most certainly wasn't expecting his sandpaper-hoarse whisper of, "Where is everyone?"

To say she shrieked was an understatement. Her scream startled people across the building. She also jumped a good foot out of her chair, crashing into the ground and bashing her hip on the floor very painfully.

"Nell?" he rasped, surprised at this severe reaction.

She looked up and saw her scarf-wearing, runny-nosed partner standing over her, looking paler than death and shaky as a tower of gyroscopes. "The hell are you doing in?" she asked. _And where the hell are your flip-flops? _she barely stopped herself from adding.

He sniffed deeply. "Hetty said you needed my help." He coughed up some phlegm in one of the tissues he held and shuddered. "She said it was urgent..."

* * *

Only once did she really know when he wouldn't be wearing those flip-flops, and that was during an undercover op.

Despite his own (and quite honestly, everyone's) belief that the FAA cover was a once and done, Eric was needed to go undercover again. This time, he was a guest at a black-tie affair and had to talk hacking with other like-minded individuals.

He looked very boyish in his tux, Nell thought as she leaned over the railing and watched Hetty coach him on being an elite upper-crust snob. Very hot - _Oh god, did I really just think that? _she thought in shock - but it didn't fit his image.

Plus, he was wearing dress shoes. That alone looked weird on Eric.

Nell returned to Ops and put some finishing touches on his backstopping. And even though she was expecting him, his sudden intrusion of her personal space from behind was enough to make her give a small jump.

"Everything okay?" he asked, a trace of nervousness in his voice.

She nodded. "Yup. Everything's secure." She turned around slightly, glancing at her partner. "You okay?"

"Honestly? I'm not liking this. Going undercover again."

Nell gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. It's just for a few hours. Soon you'll be back in your chair and in your flip-flops."

The last addition was completely unexpected, but Eric didn't seem to notice. He just grinned, nodded to convince himself, and left.

And Nell tried not to blush.

* * *

Even though Hetty despaired of his flip-flops, Nell secretly liked them. Their sound was strangely comforting as he walked around the Mission, easily distinguishable as the Tech Operator's because, let's face it, nobody else would dare test Hetty's patience and try to copy Eric. Besides, that way he couldn't sneak up on her.

And he tried. Sometimes he came close. But then those sandals would flip-flop, like a little warning system, and give Nell the extra few seconds to brace herself.

Those extra few seconds were critical to Nell.

It was the difference between coolness and idiocy.

And sometimes, she needed more of the first and less of the second.

* * *

**This one kind of zoomed all over. Oh well. Please review!**

**51 reviews! *tears up* I feel your love. Please send more!**


	10. Jealous

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #9: Jealous - She tries not to show it when he talks fondly about Abby Sciuto, but she knows she can't compete with the Goth forensic specialist.**

**Words: 676**

* * *

"Oh, another posting on Abby's blog!"

Nell had to control herself from slamming down a key and ruining the line of code she had been meticulously entering into her system. Cracking her knuckles, the red-haired analyst continued inputting code.

Abby Sciuto.

Nell only knew about the forensic specialist from what she'd learned online and what others had told her, but everything she heard was glazed with praise. Single-handedly running the forensics lab in D.C's Navy Yard, no assistants, and basically mainlining caffeine thanks to Caf-Pows, Abby Sciuto was the happiest Goth you could ever meet, and the smartest one too.

It wasn't hard to be a little envious.

But Nell wasn't one to fall prey to the green monster of envy. And why should she? Recently graduated from college, she's hired into a clandestine branch of the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service that required her particular skill set. She worked with some of the best undercover operatives in the business, under one of the most powerful (from the shadows) people in NCIS. It was an honor, a privilege, and most definitely a responsibility.

So she shouldn't be jealous of Abby Sciuto.

But sometimes, when Eric referenced Abby's work during their case, Nell couldn't help the stab of inadequacy. It was petty. It was childish.

It still hurt sometimes.

That's probably one of the reasons why she works so hard. To prove that she's just as valuable to OSP as Abby is to NCIS. She wants to show them that she's just as capable.

The fact that she wants to prove that she's capable to Eric may also be a small, itty-bitty factor.

She hadn't been lying when she said she ignored the boys that she liked as a child. She had, and quite easily too; boys were too boring for her. But Eric was almost impossible to ignore. He was very different from all the other geeks and nerds she'd known and dated, and that attracted her attention. For one, he dressed with style, despite whatever Hetty said. For another, he could crack a joke and take one in stride.

Unlike those other geeks, he was somewhat normal.

Maybe that's why she found him so fascinating. Surrounded by all this knowledge of death and secrets, he hadn't become jaded by this job. He could still be warm, and funny. He could make everything a little brighter.

She thought of all that, and several more things she admired about Eric, as she typed in code after code. It wasn't until Eric called her name three times that she realized he was trying to get her attention. "What?"

"I said, you wanna get something to eat? We've been typing for over three hours." He gave her an easy grin. "C'mon. On me."

Nell blinked. "I thought you were reading Abby's blog post."

"I can do it later." Eric noticed something. "What's the matter? You feeling okay?"

"Y-Yeah." She was just amazed that he was blowing off reading the post he'd been looking forward to every week for having lunch with her.

"Ok then. Grab your bag. I'll drive."

"What about the codes?"

"Password cracker, and I've got a program running to tell me when we break it." He showed her the alarm set up on his phone. "Now will you stop worrying? Hetty won't kill us for skipping out for lunch."

Nell giggled as she grabbed her purse. "Alright then. Let's go."

Abby Sciuto may be the best forensic scientist in NCIS. She may be smart, she may be an incredible woman, and she may be the one person Nell can never aspire to beat.

But Nell Jones has something better. She's Eric Beale's partner.

And that squashes that green monster of jealousy every single time.

* * *

**Jealous!Nell is kinda fun to write. Lolz.**

**Review please!**


	11. Conflict

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA. _Shoot.**

**Prompt #10: Conflict - On the one hand, he really wanted to warn her about her boyfriend. On the other hand, he didn't want to ruin their friendship by admitted to running a background check on said boyfriend.**

**Words: 1,287**

* * *

It was obvious on Monday that Eric Beale was upset.

G Callen noticed first when he went into Ops. Eric was sitting at his terminal, fidgeting and drumming his fingers on the console. Being concerned, Callen asked, "Something wrong?" When the Tech Operator looked at him, Callen had to say something. "Whoa, Eric, you look like hell. Did you sleep last night?"

"No," replied the geek tersely, looking back at his screen.

Callen started to get worried. "Did you leave at all last night?"

"No."

"No what?" asked Sam as he, Kensi, and Deeks came into Ops. The SEAL also saw Eric's frumpled state and said, "Wow, Eric, you look like hell."

"Thank you, your concern is noted," Eric snapped, an uncharacteristic note of true anger in his voice. "Really, you guys are awesome."

"Eric, what's the matter?" Kensi asked. "We're a little worried. You don't normally pull all-nighters in Ops unless it's really bad. Is it a case?"

He didn't reply at first. It looked as though he was debating with himself; his mouth would open, but then doubt would cross his face and he'd close his mouth again. Swallowing hard, he said shortly, "Nell introduced me to her boyfriend last night."

Mild surprise from the agents was all he got. They'd heard about this mystery guy from Nell herself, and she was over the moon about him. According to her, he was smart, funny, charming, and an IT guy with a talent for surfing. He sounded great, and Callen, Sam, and Kensi were glad that their smallest teammate was happy in her relationship.

But Deeks had this strange, almost apprehensive look on his face when he looked at Eric. "Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did."

"What?" asked Kensi, looking at her partner in confusion.

"I was worried," Eric argued defensively.

The blonde LAPD cop shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You still did it."

"You didn't even know what I found out."

"You're pulling that with me? Seriously?" Deeks looked at the others. "Eric ran a background check on Nell's new boy."

"Eric!" they responded, shocked.

The tech hung his head. "I know, I know, it was wrong, but something about him rubbed me the wrong way!"

Callen shook his head. "Eric, you don't just do random background checks on your co-workers' boyfriends. Especially not someone you trust."

"Don't you trust Nell?" asked Sam.

Eric had the right to look indignant, and he used it now. "Of course I do!"

Kensi, however, was still looking at Deeks. "How did you know he ran a background check?" she asked.

"Because I did the minute she told me his name."

"Deeks!" Kensi said, scandalized. "You hypocrite."

"Difference is, she's not my partner. It's a cop thing; you make sure your team is safe." Deeks looked at Eric. "But the look on your face tells me you went wider than just simple police reports."

Despite the obvious breach in privacy, the implications that Nell's boyfriend was in more trouble than just a few parking tickets sparked the protective instincts of the agents. "Put it up on the big screen," Callen said to Eric.

The rap sheet was small, but quality overrode quantity. "Assault," murmured Callen, frowning a little. "Assault and battery. Drunk and disorderly. More than a few DUI's." He gave a small grimace. "Guy's got a temper."

Deeks looked at the places, not the charges. "Atlantic City and Vegas. Big casino towns. Lots of loose money and liquor. Probably a contributing factor."

"All done as a teenager, none less than five years ago," said Kensi. She raised an eyebrow at Eric. "You unsealed his juvie files? How much mud were you expecting to turn up?"

"Don't you trust Nell at all, Eric?" Sam asked quietly, repeating his question from earlier.

"I do!" Eric snapped. "It's just - I just don't want her to get hurt," he said. "Being with this guy will hurt her, I know it."

"People can change," Kensi said gently.

But the tech snorted. "Yeah, sure they do. Is that what you tell yourselves when the day gets really shitty?"

The silence was a loud, awkward one in Ops. This was how Hetty walked in five minutes later, her sharp eyes instantly locking onto the arrest record up on the plasma. "A new case?" she asked, not really expecting them to lie to her.

Callen decided to tattle. "Eric ran a background check on Nell's new boyfriend."

The tiny head of OSP nodded. "As he was right to," she said. Eric had the dignity to look smug. "However, what he was not supposed to do was broadcast it for the world to know."

Kensi put her hands on her hips. "You already did it," she said. "Checked him out."

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't know who my agents - or analysts - were associating with and to what capacity." Hetty went over to Eric's keyboard, touched a few keys, and deleted the file. "However, if I don't miss my guess, I would assume that Miss Jones has already thoroughly vetted this man before initiating any sort of relationship with him. If she were to find that you were looking into his background, I wonder what she would think."

Eric's eyes narrowed. "I'm looking out for my partner, Hetty."

She nodded. "I'm sure you are, Mister Beale. But do it discreetly. Miss Jones trusts you. And trust, as I'm sure you are all aware, is very fragile and, once broken, is not easily repaired."

Nobody had the guts to deny that. It was true. And trust was a valuable weapon in their line of work. Trust was the difference between coming back laughing and coming back in a black bag.

Hetty patted Eric's shoulder. "I understand your motives, but don't show this to Nell. If she knows, she'll be affronted, and insulted that you didn't trust her. If she doesn't, she'll be horrified, and insulted that you didn't trust her."

"No win scenario," said Sam.

"Exactly, Mister Hanna." Hetty turned around and gave one last passing remark. "I suggest you all disperse before Miss Jones comes in here. Mister Beale, perhaps you should be getting on with your work."

The agents drifted out, each patting Eric's shoulder as they left. The Tech Operator, left alone, started researching their latest case in an effort to take his mind off other things.

Nell breezed into Ops about ten minutes later. Plopping beside Eric, she started chatting about her date the previous evening, how Christopher was so charming, the movie was wonderful, and could you believe that he picked her up this morning to go surfing? She was almost glowing with happiness.

And Eric, not willing to break her heart, not to mention the trust he shared with her, didn't say anything.

He just smiled, listened to her wonderful evening, and was her best friend.

Her best friend who cared about her enough to vet the boyfriend, learn all his secrets, and not tell her because he wanted her to be happy.

Sometimes it sucks to be the best friend.

* * *

**Oh, poor Eric. A little hurt here, but don't worry, it'll be righted soon!**

**60 reviews? I feel so loved! Thank you! Please keep it up!**


	12. Children

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #11: Children - Hetty feels like she's in charge of a pair of bickering children when the OSP tech center becomes a verbal war zone. Surprisingly, grounding them still works.**

**Words: 684**

* * *

Hetty Lange walked into a war zone that morning.

"You idiotic twit! You can't do that!"

"Can and did!"

Hetty sighed and rolled her eyes. Eric Beale and Nell Jones were sitting in front of their computer terminals, but they weren't doing any type of productive work. No, they had some sort of video game up on the big screen and were furiously attacking their keyboards. Hetty didn't recognize the game, but then again, she didn't follow such things.

"I'm going to kick your ass!" Eric growled. On the screen, some sort of creature moved and attacked an elf-like person.

"Ah!" The elf-creature (apparently under Nell's control) pulled out a bottle and threw it at the larger beast, which Hetty thought looked like a minotaur. "Take that, Tauren bastard!"

Eric jabbed some keys, and the Tauren whipped out some sort of weapon. "I'm gonna squash your Night-Elf into tiny bits!"

"Not if I curse you first!" And Nell retaliated.

Hetty wanted to stop them, but she didn't think they'd hear or acknowledge her. She knew how wrapped up in their fantasy worlds they could get.

But then the language exceeded polite English language. Nell even began throwing some Spanish swears at Eric when his Tauren began mercilessly beating down on her Night-Elf. Hetty let them stew for a couple minutes, then decided to end this foolishness.

She needed her Tech Operator and her Intelligence Analyst on speaking terms.

Clearing her throat, she began saying, "If you two are - "

"Not now!" they snapped in unison, not looking at who they just snubbed. "Just leave it on the table!" Then they continued swearing like sailors as they button-mashed so hard their keyboards creaked.

And that's when Hetty's understanding attitude went the way of the dinosaurs. "I beg your pardon?" she said in arctic tones.

Both techs froze. A shudder quickly followed. Their fingers slid off the keyboards as their heads slowly turned to face her. "Hetty," Eric choked out, his eyes wide in panic. Next to him, Nell paled.

"May I ask what you two are doing?" Hetty asked.

Nell swallowed before answering, "World of Warcraft, Hetty. It's an massively multiplayer online role-playing game - "

"And what use does it bear with this investigation?" interrupted the smaller woman.

Both Eric and Nell's gazes dropped to the ground. "None," they replied in very small voices.

She fixed them with a strong glare, then looked at Eric. "I think you know what's coming, Mister Beale."

That sentence made Eric flinch. "Aw, Hetty - " His plea was silenced instantly when her glare turned icy.

Nell bit her lip. "Um, what's happening?"

Straightening her back to use her height as much as possible, Hetty announced, "You two are officially grounded from any of this massively multiplayer rock-pulling - "

Unconsciously Eric and Nell corrected her. "Role-playing...game..." Their voices teetered off when she stared at them again.

"This...game...until I say otherwise," she finished. "Be assured that if I find out you two are playing behind my back, or if you employ any of those hacker tricks you're so proud of, I will come for you and you will not like the outcome of our meeting. Am I perfectly clear?"

Vigorous nods from Eric and Nell.

"Good. Now get to work."

With crestfallen expressions Eric and Nell closed their WoW windows and started to work. Hetty left Ops for some tea in her office.

_I swear, at times it feels like I'm working with children, _she thought as the water began to boil. _Well, grounding still works on those two, at least. I wish the same could be said of my agents... __Maybe an experiment for another day, _she mused, smiling to herself.

* * *

**This one was, um, strange. I dunno, let me know about it.**

**Review, please!**


	13. Fun

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA. _If I did, there'd be a little more EricxNell.**

**Prompt #12: Fun - It was worth the long afternoon of hot sun, sweat, and engine grease to watch the garage camera footage and see Sam's face when the Challenger started up by itself.**

***Thanks to annonymous reviewer NcisLAFan, who corrected my tiny error. Sam's car is a Challenger. Oops. Now fixed.  
**

**Words: 926**

* * *

"Hand me the screwdriver."

"Screwdriver," said Nell, handing the tool to her partner.

Eric fiddled around for a bit, then handed it back. "Wrench."

"Sprocket?"

"Yeah."

Nell rooted around the toolbox until she found it. "Alrighty," she said. A grin decorated her face. "This is going to be epic, Eric."

"I know, right?" He was grinning from ear to ear as he worked.

Nell wiped sweat from her forehead, smearing oil over her skin. "I was surprised when you said you could work on cars."

Eric wiped his cheek to get excess grease off his fingertips. "I can do enough to save a couple hundred dollars in engine work."

"And Kensi showed you how, right?"

"Yup, and I'm not ashamed to admit that." He held out his hand. "Gimme the screwdriver again, and go set up the camera."

His partner pulled a tiny camera out of her pocket. "Where should I attach it?" she asked, handing him the screwdriver.

"Put it above the steering wheel. We need to get a good shot of his face." The smile on Eric's face was pure Puck mischief.

Shaking her head, Nell got in the car and began securing the camera. "You think he'll see it?"

"Maybe after, but not before. Make sure it's practically invisible."

"Got it." She pressed it into a corner of the display, then giggled. "I can't wait to watch this. Are you done yet?"

"Almost," Eric grunted. "Just gotta...screw this...back on...OW!"

Nell jumped out of the Challenger and ran to his side. "You all right?" she asked, concerned.

"Caught my finger. Nothing serious." Wiping his hands with a rag, the blond man shut the hood of the Challenger and grinned at Nell. "Let's go back to Ops. You get the popcorn, I'll start up the cameras."

* * *

In less than fifteen minutes the two geeks were sitting in their swivel chairs in Ops, each cradling a bowl of popcorn and cackling madly. The plasma screen was cut in half, showing two different camera angles. One was the surveillence camera in the garage, where Sam's Challenger was parked in his usual spot. The other half was from the dash-cam Nell installed. Both showed no movement.

"He should be heading out soon," Eric said, munching in excitement.

Nell nodded as she took a slurp of her soda. "This will be amazing." Then she pulled out the first-aid kit. "Until that moment comes, give me your hand. I know you're bleeding."

"It stopped," he said defensively. But he let her take his hand in hers.

With efficient precision Nell smeared on antiseptic cream and stuck a band-aid on the gash. "Shouldn't get infected," she said as she smoothed the corners flat. "It would suck if you got sick from a practical joke."

"Thanks Nell," he replied, trying not to shiver. Motion on the garage camera caught his eye, and he quickly turned to check it out. "All righty. Here comes Sam."

"Recording," Nell said, pressing the command.

Eric pulled out his touchscreen pad and keyed up the app he designed for the remote startup. "Okay, ready?"

"Absolutely."

On the camera, they watched Sam walk towards his Challenger. The techs leaned forward, eagerly watching him reach for his keys, unlock the side door...open the door...get inside...

"His keys are going for the ignition," whispered Nell, her face showing excited anticipation. "Now."

Eric hit the button.

Sam gave a startled yell as the Challenger rumbled to life before his keys were anywhere near the ignition. He quickly ejected himself from the car and rolled away to duck and cover behind another car twenty yards away. His gun was out and sweeping the garage when he popped up again, searching for any enemies.

Meanwhile, up in Ops, Eric and Nell were doubled over in their chairs, laughing their guts out like a pair of hyenas on laughing gas. Grabbing the touchscreen pad again, they started messing with Sam even more, making the Challenger's horn honk and the lights turn on and off, all the while revving the engine like it was in the Daytona 500.

Sam's expression was priceless. A combination of shock, dismay, and pure WTF all mixed in with the tense battle-ready look of a SEAL who'd been badly startled.

"Control, this is Team Mind-Screw," Nell crowed. "We have completed the mission." She exchanged a high-five with Eric. "The Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot Moment has been captured on camera."

"Epic win," said Eric with the biggest, boyish grin she'd ever seen on his face.

"Epic win," she agreed with a grin of her own.

Then Sam, straightening from his crouch behind the car, frowned and looked straight at the garage security camera. Both techs stiffened as if he could actually see him. Sam said something they couldn't hear, and then he disappeared.

Eric looked over at her, fear evident in his eyes. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," he said helplessly.

"He said 'You're dead' didn't he?" Nell asked.

They stared at each other a few more seconds, then yelled the exact same thing.

"RUN!"

* * *

**Lolz, this made me laugh. And the 79 reviews made me feel so loved!**

**Please review some more!**


	14. Date

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #13: Date - "I can't believe it's been a year since I've started here," she said, touching the rose in amazement. "And I can't believe you remembered."**

**Words: 1,369**

* * *

When Nell walked into OSP that morning, she could tell something was a little off.

For one, the team was already leaving on their case. Which meant she missed the briefing. Which was odd, since Eric never cut her out like that before. She felt a little left out, but brushed it off. It wasn't professional.

So she went to her terminal and began doing what she did best. Investigating.

* * *

"Hey, Eric?" she asked a few hours later.

"What's up Nell?" he replied, not looking over at her.

Nell felt snubbed, but pressed on. "Why didn't you call me in this morning? I could've been here in twenty minutes."

"I had it under control, Nell," Eric said, still not talking at her.

"But I could've helped..."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Nell, for the last time, I had it under control. I didn't need your help. Let it go already."

Stung by his dismissal, Nell returned to work. She didn't know what hurt more - the fact that he hadn't called her, or the fact that he hadn't needed her.

* * *

Nell couldn't believe her eyes.

She was gone from her spot five minutes - _five lousy minutes _- and Eric just dives into her presentation all on his own? The hell?

Watching from the doors of Ops, affronted and deeply hurt, she watched her partner show the fruits of her labors to the team as if he'd done it himself. Nobody saw her standing there, trembling with anger and close to tears.

Professionalism be damned. Rubbing her eyes dry, Nell ran down the stairs and out of NCIS OSP. In the bright LA sun, she felt a lot warmer than she had inside. Her feet started walking in the direction of the boathouse as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number she really shouldn't have but needed now.

He answered on the second ring. "_Nell? How did you get this number?_"

"Nate, you got a minute?" she asked, not even bothering to answer his question. "I need your advice after I vent."

"_What am I, your shrink?_"

"You're a psychologist, and you're my friend, so yes, that unofficial role is bestowed on you as well as your usual job title." Nell reached the boathouse and walked down to the beach. Pulling off her shoes and socks, she stuck her toes in the surf. "Please Nate. I'm really messed up."

A sigh rattled through the phone in a rush of static. "_All right, Nell. What's the matter?_"

She unloaded everything on him, beginning with the morning's snub and ending with Eric's usurping her presentation with no one caring she wasn't there. When she finished she was close to tears again. "He's never cut me out like this, Nate! Never. Not even when I started working here..."

"_Wait a second._" Something in Nate's voice changed - comprehension? "_Nell, you're saying he's never done this before?_"

"That's right."

"_Not in the year since you started working at OSP?_"

"Didn't I just say that?" Nell huffed.

Nate was quiet for a moment. Then he carefully said, "_I think you should go back and talk to him, Nell._"

Her screech of disbelief was understandable. "What? After he was such a dick? The hell, Nate, why aren't you on my side?"

"_Nell, you're overreacting. Obviously you forgot what today was._" Now he sounded almost amused. "_Trust me, it's not as bad as you're making it out to be._"

"Nell?"

She looked up, hearing her partner's voice echoing out of the bouthouse's windows. "That's Eric," she said to Nate.

"_Give him a chance to explain,_" Nate urged her. "_I promise, you won't be disappointed._" Before she could ask why he knew that, he disconnected.

* * *

Eric looked around the boathouse, starting to get a little worried. Nell's phone was last known to be here. But he didn't see the analyst.

He blamed himself. He'd been too brusque with her that day, afraid that she'd look at him with those big green eyes and he'd cave. He couldn't risk that chance. And now she'd run away before he'd had a chance to explain.

_Dammit! _he thought angrily, slamming his fist on the table. _I screwed up._

"Eric?" That soft voice made him spin around. Nell stood in the doorway, looking at him with a confused expression. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he replied truthfully. "You blew out of Ops like a ghost was at your heels."

Confusion bloomed into hurt rage. "You didn't need me, so I left," she retorted shortly. "Didn't realize you were tracking me."

Eric bit his lip. She had every right to be angry at him. So he pulled out the gift-wrapped box from his pocket and quietly held it out to her. His chin dropped to his chest while his eyes looked up to see her reaction.

She didn't move. "What's that?" she asked caustically.

"Something for you," he said.

"What for?"

"Don't you know what today is?" Eric asked.

_What is this strange fascination with today? _Nell wondered. First Nate, now Eric? Clearly something was up. Walking up to him, she snatched the thin box from his hand and examined it. "What is it?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Shouldn't you open a present and find out yourself?"

Pursing her lips in annoyance, Nell looked at the box. It was very light, balancing on her fingertips. Now curious, she untied the ribbon and took off the lid. A soft gasp escaped her lips.

Nestled in green tissue paper was a single rose in full bloom, beautiful and pure crimson. Her breath caught a little, and her fingertips moved to brush the delicate petals gently.

"There was supposed to be a party today," said Eric, now looking to the floor of the boathouse. "But then that case came up. So I figured if we solved it we could still have the party today, so I did all the work and kept the team moving..." He rambled on and on, oblivious to the fact that Nell hadn't been paying attention.

She finally figured out what day it was. Now she understood why Nate had pressed her to listen to Eric's explanation. It wasn't that he hadn't needed her. He'd wanted to surprise her.

"You remembered," she whispered, looking up at her partner with a wobbly smile.

He halted mid-ramble, surprised at her statement. Then his adorable grin came back. "How could I forget the anniversary of the day I got the best partner I've ever had?"

"Even though you didn't like me much at first," Nell said, ever the one for facts.

Eric shrugged. "I got over it quick enough." Warm eyes looked apprehensively at her. "So, are we cool?"

She replaced the lid on the rose box, put it down on the table, and looked at him with an expressionless face. Then she jumped into his arms and was hugging him tightly. "Yeah," she said, squeezing her eyes shut. "Yeah, we're cool."

* * *

Back in Ops, Hetty showed a happy smile as she watched her analysts make up on the boathouse cameras while Callen, Sam, Kensi, and Deeks applauded. She glanced back at the agents and said, "Now, let's get the party ready for when they return. We still want to celebrate having Miss Jones with us, don't we?"

* * *

**I liked writing this! So sweet, right?**

**Review please!**


	15. Secret

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #14: Secret - He's always curious when Hetty calls her away on what he's dubbed "secret missions", but he doesn't pry. If she needs his help, he'll gladly give it.**

**Words: 746**

* * *

"Miss Jones, a word if you please."

Eric glanced up as his partner went to join Hetty at the door to Ops. He saw a folder exchange hands, a few murmured words between them, and then Nell returned to her workstation.

"Something Hetty wants to know?" he asked, indicating the red file folder.

Nell nodded. "Yeah, something like that."

He wanted to ask "Want some help?" but knows it's none of his business. Hetty gave her the task, and apparently Nell was under orders not to tell anyone about it.

So he went back to his own work.

* * *

It's not the first time. He noticed before, when Deeks got shot, that Nell was puttering away on something secret. When he asked after it, she got really defensive and said it was for Hetty. He'd left it alone, but he'd burned with curiosity about it.

After the next few times, his curiosity lessened a bit. It really was none of his business what Hetty was having Nell investigate. She was the Intelligence Analyst, and she was good at what she did.

Besides, if Hetty wanted him to help, she would've told Nell to include him. Simple as that.

When Nell came into their clandestine fold, she took over a good few of his jobs. He hadn't been happy, but he understood the necessity. He was a little bit overworked, running Ops all by his lonesome aside from the odd tech who came in to assist. He needed a full-time partner. What he'd gotten was a midget redheaded college brat who cut him off, stole his whistle, and managed to annoy the crap out of him within a week of her starting.

But then he noticed how, with every foray into a person's personal lives, every life researched, every piece of dirty laundry aired, Nell became less of an annoyance. She began mellowing out, not being her usual self. For a time, Eric thought she'd drop out. Plenty of analysts did; they got in too close, grew jaded from the secrets and lies and the cemetery's worth of skeletons some people had in their closets. Some even broke under the stress of the job.

Then Hetty called her away that first time. She'd been given that first solo assignment, and she'd done well, as far as Eric had seen.

After that, Nell was back to her usual bouncy self. She almost always had a tiny smile touching the corners of her mouth.

That's what had made her feel so down before. In their bustling world of lies and deceit, she hadn't felt like anything she did had any value; skeletons kept piling up. But now, Hetty had made Nell be her personal grave robber - all those hidden things were found and brought into the light with efficient speed and the aid of the best government technology.

It made her feel capable. Eric knew this.

So he let her do her own thing.

* * *

"Eric? Eric!"

He blinked, pulled from his reminiscing by his partner's voice. "What's up, Nell?"

Her eyebrows pulled together briefly. "You all right?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Eric asked.

Nell's mouth twisted into a slightly pained grimace. "Well, I'm stuck on my...assignment," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "and Hetty said I had to be discreet with this information..."

"You want my...assistance?" he clarified. He didn't use the word 'help' so she could still be in charge.

She nodded. "Just for a few general searches. Can you run these key words and get back to me?"

With a small smile, Eric began searching with the key words. She wanted to get this done by herself so badly, but she knew when she had to ask for help. She'd matured a lot since she started at OSP. All because Hetty trusted her with secrets.

And he had to admit, once you told Nell Jones to find something buried in mystery and time, she'd go at it with her computer-enhanced shovels and GPR until she found that skeleton.

Eric grinned as his partner focused on her task again.

Cutest cyber grave robber _ever_.

* * *

**This one was interesting to write. Please review! We're so close to 100 now!**


	16. Gamble

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA _or episode 2x22 "Plan B".**

**Prompt #15: Gamble - "I told you they'd use Biscuit," he chuckled, holding out his hand for the money. She only pointed at the screen as the ruse quickly changed to Rich LA Couple, then held out her own hand.**

**Warning: spoiler alert for "Plan B"**

**Words: 571**

* * *

Eric Beale doesn't gamble much.

But when he decides to roll those dice, he has to have the numbers and the odds backing him up.

That, and the ever-trusty Plan B.

* * *

A prime example of a true gamble was during the case with Deeks's friend Ray. The Southland Kings were coming after the ex-gunsmith with a vengeance, and they needed an airtight way to "kill off" both Ray and his pregnant girlfriend Jenna and stop the hits from coming. Ray was already down with whatever they came up with, much to the dismay of Deeks.

All they needed now was a real plan.

After running every scenario, Eric stumbled over something - staging a car explosion. Quick, efficient, very flashy, and would leave no doubt to anyone that the occupants were dead.

They put that as Plan B.

So Eric and Nell fell to outfitting a black SUV to rock and roll, then explode. It wasn't hard to do; much like building the hover-vehicle after his first undercover assignment, Eric pretty much knew what he was doing.

"You sure this will work?" asked Nell, lying under the car as she attached wires.

Up in the driver's seat, Eric bit his lip as he fiddled with the radio reciever. "It ought to," he said confidently. "It's a foolproof plan. I drive it out on the road, it gets sideswiped by a truck, then I make it go boom-boom. And bye bye, Ray and Jenna."

"So, you've done this before," Nell guessed, sliding out from the undercarriage.

He shrugged. "Um, not really."

She gave him an astonished look. "You're gambling their lives on something you've never done before?"

"Hey, it's a sound idea," Eric said defensively. "Besides, once we do the car swap, they're free and clear."

Nell bit her lip. "What if they don't buy the car swap, Eric?" she asked softly.

"They have to." He nodded once, then shut the driver's side door. "There. It's set up. Time to lock and load."

* * *

Everything, of course, didn't go off without a hitch. There were some surprises - Ray getting pinned, the totally unexpected rocket launcher, and, of course, going to Plan B.

But it all turned out okay. Ray and Jenna were safely relocated, presumed dead by the Southland Kings and Nelson Sanders.

Sitting in Ops with an incredibly smug grin on his face, Eric toyed with the now-inoperable remote on his console. "Some guys hit the gym to relieve stress. I total cars and blow them up."

"And who's the rockstar?" Nell replied, holding out her hand for the low-five. He returned it, to which she replied, "Yeah."

"Told you it'd work," Eric replied, looking up at his partner.

She nodded. "Yeah you did." Impulsively she gave him a hug. "Good idea, partner."

"Thanks, partner."

* * *

Eric Beale only gambles when he's sure of the outcome. That holds true both on the job and off.

Right now, he's not sure where the chips will fall with Nell Jones.

So he'll wait until he knows.

Then he'll take the gamble.

* * *

**This started out differently, but then I saw the newest episode and thought, "Oh please, Eric totally thought that plan up."**

**Review please! Up to 103, hurray!**


	17. Opposites

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #16: Opposites - She's called herself "Type A with borderline ADD" and he's almost definitely a "Type B" personality. But they still manage to work in perfect harmony.**

**Words: 539**

* * *

If you've ever played with magnets as a child, you learn something that's a fundamental truth of life. No matter what anyone tells you, no matter what your eyes show you, and no matter how much the evidence contradicts it. Magnets teach us one thing - besides that you can have a lot of fun moving metal without using your hands.

They teach you that opposites attract.

* * *

She's a Type A personality. In her own words, she has "borderline ADD."

Perfectionist, driven, and just a little bit hyper.

She joined NCIS OSP and immediately tried too hard to fit in. Her bad habit of finishing sentences earned her more than a few glares. When she whistled the team up that one time - without asking permission - Eric didn't talk to her for hours.

Nell never had to explain herself to anyone before. Her parents had known she was an odd child. Her friends were okay with it. Any boys who liked her just stayed away - not that she would've noticed, since she ignored boys she liked.

But to him, to her partner, to this casually-dressed hacker who roamed around a government office in flagrant violation of dress code, Nell decided to explain why she was the way she was.

From there, she found herself explaining a lot about herself to him.

And she felt herself grow closer to him.

* * *

He's a Type B personality.

Laid-back, patient, easy-going, no pressing sense of urgency (unless someone's life is on the line or a bad guy is loose).

He was the geek king of Ops, and he was comfortable on his swivel-chair throne. So when a new kid waltzed into his kingdom, he wasn't aware how much she'd disrupt his life. She took some of his duties, cut him off mid-sentence, then stole his whistle. He was, obviously, annoyed by it.

Then he was pushed into the undercover role. His easy-going personality meant he was nervous as hell trying to recall his alias as Gary Clay. When he was trapped in the satelitte testing chamber, hearing the alarms go off as all the air was sucked out of the room, he immediately panicked, trying to get out through the locked door.

But Nell, even though she was horrified by his predicament, worked furiously to get him out. The last conscious thing he heard was "Hang on, Eric, they're coming, just hold on!" Later, she welcomed him back to Ops and understood his reluctance to ever do it again.

From there, he found himself relying on her more.

And he felt himself grow closer to her.

* * *

Magents have opposite poles. Push the same poles together, and they repel each other. Push the opposite poles together, and they immediately latch on to each other.

They both tried to be professional at first, but that made them clash. So they started being themselves.

And now, they are a well-oiled machine.

After all, opposites attract.

* * *

**Just a little drabble I came up with. Meh, okay.**

**Review please!**


	18. Hug

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #17: Hug - The violent images overwhelmed her, and she quickly turned to bury her face in his shoulder as his arms came up to hold her close.**

**Words: 1,301**

* * *

Nell put on her steely face as the particulars of the case started coming in. Her throat closed up as she tried to swallow.

Petite women. Red hair. Killed and left like garbage in alleyways of Los Angeles. All with a link back to the Navy or Marines. Therefore, they were under NCIS's juristiction. This most recent one was the fifth in under a month. Only dead two days.

Eric glanced at her through the briefing, worry clear in his eyes. But he remained professional, giving the team all the information they needed before they headed out to find clues. Only after they left did he look at his partner. "You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said quickly, tearing her eyes away from the screen. "Yeah, I'm fine."

But Eric knew her better then that. "Nell, talk to me."

She couldn't look up at him. If she did, she'd see those pictures on screen. She didn't know how she'd react to them. And she really didn't want to know.

So Eric walked towards her. Whether by accident or by design, he stopped in front of the plasma, blocking the pictures from her line of sight. "Nell?" he said softly. "What is it?"

"Those victims..." Again her throat closed up on her. Nell swallowed past it and croaked, "They're so...they look like..." She shuddered. "Just, I need to - " Without another word she briskly walked out of Ops, leaving Eric behind to stare after her.

Hetty, who hadn't actually left Ops, cleared her throat. "Mister Beale," she said, "maybe you should keep an eye on Miss Jones. I believe this case is going to be a tough one for her."

"I can't help her if she pushes me away, Hetty," Eric said. "And I won't force her to rely on me. It's not her way."

The smaller woman nodded in understanding. "Very well. But be there for her."

"I will."

* * *

Nell splashed water on her face, leaning over the sink in the women's bathroom. She felt like she couldn't breathe, gasping heavily and trying not to hyperventilate. The _last _thing she needed was for Kensi or, God forbid, Hetty, finding her passed out on the tile floor of the restroom.

She had to get it together. But those images -

Nell shook her head vigorously. She'd seen worse in her months working at NCIS.

But this...this was something else.

The women were just too similar to her for Nell to remain objective. Their stature, their hair, their affiliation with the Navy - everything she had. It hadn't taken much for Nell to be afraid that she might be next.

Five women later, she was still alive, but no less scared.

A soft knock tapped on the bathroom door. "Nell? It's Kensi. You okay?"

"Come on in," rasped Nell, grabbing a paper towel and scrubbing her face dry. She heard the door open and peeked over the towel to see the brunette NCIS agent give her a concerned look. "I'm all right."

She nodded, but whether she believed her or not was another matter. So Kensi only said, "You know we won't let anything happen to you, Nell."

"I know," Nell replied with a nod. "I know."

They shared a quick hug, and then Kensi left the bathroom. Nell took a few seconds to stare in the mirror, ground herself and get her game face back on, and headed out after her.

Like their female companion, the boys gave her quick, concerned looks as she crossed the Mission main floor and headed up to Ops again. Out of the corner of her eye, Nell saw Sam and Callen nod once, while Deeks gave her a thumbs up. Their concern touched her, as did their silent encouragement. _We've got your back, Nell._

Man, did she appreciate that. Short of a rocket launcher, nothing would get past those four agents. Or Hetty; a frickin' army couldn't get past Hetty. Hell, she'd probably stare the tank driver down so bad, he'd pee his pants and run scared.

* * *

Eric typed away, glancing back when he heard the doors slide open. "Hey rockstar," he said with a smile as his partner entered. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she said with her own tired smile. She sat in her chair next to him and pulled up some data. "Got anything new?"

"Looks like Petty Officer Fields, the newest victim, wasn't much of a party girl. She hadn't been out clubbing the night she died like the others had," Eric said.

"So this guy knew she'd be home," mused Nell. "Maybe he stalked her?"

"Maybe." He paused when his phone rang. Picking up his Bluetooth, he put it on and answered, "Yo." Nell glanced over, watching his expression turn grim. "Okay, hang on. I'll turn on the video stream and secure the network."

"What's going on?" she asked, already setting up the video stream security protocols.

Eric shook his head. "Callen just said to look at what they found. He said this was from a tip-off; a neighbor smelled something - " The video came up on the big screen, fuzzed static for a few moments, then cleared up. Eric's jaw slowly dropped. "Oh my God."

Nell took one look and gave a piercing scream. The next thing Eric knew, she was out of her chair and across the room, trying to block the sight of what was on the plasma. He quickly ran over and pulled her close, saying to the worried Callen, "That was Nell. No, she's fine, it just startled her. Why didn't you tell me what we were going to see?" His voice rose angrily at the last sentence. "I would've told her to leave if you told me you'd found the son-of-a-bitch's basement murder chamber!"

Hanging up on Callen, Eric quickly killed the visual on the screen while keeping the link open, allowing the stream to continue downloading. He'd catch flak from Callen later. Right now he had to calm Nell down. She was already starting to sob, tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt as she gripped fistfuls of the garment so hard her knuckles were snow white.

She was scared. Scared badly.

"Nell," he said, resting his chin on her head as he hugged her. "Nell, it's okay. They got the tip, which means they know who they're looking for. Chances are they'll get him in a matter of hours." He rubbed her back soothingly, rubbing in circles as if comforting a child. "Shhh, Nell, shhh. It's okay. They're going to get him. Don't worry about it."

She nodded, still crying. Hugging her tighter, Eric whispered, "It's okay, Nell. Nothing's going to happen to you."

* * *

She felt like a fool. She never lost control like this. She was capable. She was strong.

But Nell had been horrified at the sight of the blood-soaked room where those murdered women had spent their last hours screaming.

Horrified...because it could have been her in there.

So she cried for a little bit, getting all those black emotions out of her system. She was safe, she kept telling herself. She was safe.

Safe in the arms of her partner, who certainly wouldn't let anything happen to her.

* * *

**This one was interesting. Not how I planned. But I like it.**

**Review please!**


	19. Red

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #18: Red - He's come to count on the brain and wits hidden under that pixie-cut head of hair.**

**Words: 697**

* * *

Eric swiveled around in his chair. "Hey Nell, what d'you think abou - "

His sentence was cut short when he realized he was speaking to an empty room. The smile on his face slowly dropped away. He'd forgotten that Nell wasn't here.

She was at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. One of their cases had overlapped with another investigation in D.C, so she'd been sent to check it out. That was two days ago.

It wasn't until she was gone that Eric realized how much he'd come to rely on his red-haired partner. She was his brainstorming partner, his backup for backstopping aliases, and the one who finished his sentences.

He was hitting a surprising amount of deducing block because she wasn't there. He had no one to pitch ideas to, nobody to wrangle facts with, and nobody to have simultaneous brainstorms with. He really hadn't realized how much Nell had become something constant to him.

He missed her.

He got a ping on his computer as a request window opened. The heading read VIDEO CHAT WITH NJONES? With a grin, Eric clicked YES and secured the network. "Hey there," he said when his partner's face popped up on the screen. "How's D.C.?"

"_Kinda cold, and kinda dreary,_" she admitted. "_But it's not all bad._"

Eric raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Suddenly Abby Sciuto popped into the camera. "_Hi Eric!_" she shouted, waving her hands excitedly. "_Oh my God, can I have my own Nell? Because she, is, phenomenal! Can you like, clone her for me and send me a clone? She is soooo much better than the last guy I got as an assistant. But then again he'd only come in to - _"

"I take it you're a celebrity over there," Eric said to his partner as Abby prattled on.

She nodded and shrugged modestly. "_Well, I don't think Special Agent Gibbs likes me much - _"

"He's like that with everyone," Eric assured her. "Trust me."

" _- But Agent McGee is really nice. And he's so smart too! And Ziva is really kickass, like Kensi is, and - _" Off she went, chattering about the agents in the D.C. area and how everything there was so different from LA, and Abby's lab was so cool, did he know that she got to work there all by herself? Eric grinned as he was listening to her ramble on and on.

God, how he missed hearing her voice.

"_But what about on your end? Anything new?_" Nell asked, abruptly bringing the conversation back to business.

Eric, unprepared for it, blinked and started a little. "Oh, right, that. Um, well, here's what we found out."

Outlining the new clues, he fixed his earlier theory to fit them and pitched it to Nell. She agreed it was sound, but added a few new leads found on her end as well. They spoke easily, as if she was right next to him and not on the other side of the country. The brainstorming session continued for almost twenty minutes before Abby suddenly reappeared, waving her hands to get their attention.

"_Somthing's come up. The team's heading out to check it. Can you call him back?_" she asked Nell.

The small woman nodded. "_Sure. Eric, I'll send you the files in a few seconds, okay?_"

"All right, I'll be waiting. Talk to you later, Red." The affectionate nickname slipped out without him realizing it.

A light blush stained Nell's cheeks, visible in the high definition of the plasma screen. "_Bye, Eric._"

The video chat ended, and Eric leaned back in his chair. The smile from earlier came back, a little goofy. Then he cracked his knuckles when Nell's files arrived in his inbox.

_Back to work, _he thought.

* * *

**Double update! Yay! Review some more please!**


	20. Sleep

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA. _Dammit, but I want the techie love!**

**Prompt #19: Sleep - Sometimes after a overnight session of code-breaking at OSP, Eric will wake up with a blanket draped over his body and a cup of steaming coffee next to his keyboard.**

**Words: 686**

* * *

Sunlight peeked in through the windows of Ops, creeping along the floor like golden snakes as the sun rose that morning. Slowly reaching further and further into the gloom of Ops, they touched the wheels of a swivel chair and began climbing up the spoke, to the seat, and alighting on the individual who slumbered in the chair.

Nell Jones smiled and shook her head, leaning her hip against the main table and crossing her arms over her chest. "Not again," she sighed. "Seriously Eric, it's not like the code was going anywhere while you cracked it." Shaking her head again, the redhead pushed off the table and walked to stand over Eric. "Out like a light. As usual."

Eric Beale, tech master extraordinaire, was slumped backwards in his chair, his head tipped back and his mouth slightly open. A soft snore popped out at random intervals, accompanied by a small twitch in the corner of his mouth. All in all, it was rather adorable.

With a soft giggle, Nell tiptoed out of Ops and made for the coffee and donuts. Pouring one for herself, she blew the steam off and took a drink. The caffiene jolted through her system like an electric bolt, making her shiver.

Then she thought of Eric, up in Ops, asleep in that god-awful chair. Sure it was fine for hours of sitting while researching and investigation on a computer, but it was not built for comfortable napping. He'd wake up with really bad back pain and a grumpy attitude.

_Well, we can't have that, _thought the analyst.

Pouring another cup of coffee, Nell put a lid on it and went over to the little sofa off the bullpen. She grabbed the blanket lying on it as well as a little pillow, tucked them both under her arm, and carried them and the two coffees back up to Ops. Eric was still asleep, just as she figured. Being very quiet, she placed his coffee next to his keyboard and spread the blanket over him. Gently lifting his head allowed her to put the pillow underneath it. She then pulled off his glasses and set them down beside his coffee.

"Maybe now you won't wake up in a foul mood," she muttered, taking a sip of her own coffee. Smiling at the incredibly cute picture, she walked back out of Ops so that he wouldn't wake up to an audience.

* * *

When sunlight hit his eyes, Eric jolted awake with a snort. Sitting up in his chair, he realized that the world was too blurry. _Where are my glasses? _he wondered blearily.

The smell of coffee woke him up slightly. Groping for the brown cylindrical container, Eric wrapped his hands around the warm cardboard and inhaled the steaming scent of caffiene. The blanket fell off his arms to pool in his lap, alerting him to its presence.

_What the? _he wondered. Spying something reflecting light by his keyboard, he reached out and picked up his glasses. He slipped them on and got his bearings.

He'd stayed late to break a tough encryption. He must've fallen asleep in his chair.

He looked to the things that he knew he hadn't had before dozing off.

Coffee, fresh and hot.

Blanket (now in his lap).

Pillow (which was now between his back and the chair).

And his glasses had been removed.

Eric checked the time. After seven AM, which meant... "Nell?" he called, noticing he was alone in Ops.

As if she was waiting for his call, the petite analyst arrived with donuts. "Hey there," she said, handing him one. "Hungry?"

He smiled when he realized what had happened.

_Nell._

"Thanks partner," he said, taking the donut offered and meaning so much more.

Nell smiled back. "No prob, partner."

* * *

**Yet another update! Review please - almost up to 120 now, so excited!**


	21. Code

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #20: Code - When the lines of letters and numbers skittered across his screen, he knew she was trying to tell him something.**

**Words: 974**

* * *

"Mister Beale, tell me you're making progress," Hetty said with her absolute last ounce of patience.

"I'm trying, Hetty, but this isn't exactly like shooting a target from a hundred yards," Eric grumbled, just as close to breaking. "Rathford is spoofing his IP address through a series of proxy sites, and I can't track it that easily while trying to keep him from hacking the OSP mainframe." His fingers quickly typed a string of codes as fast as he could, eyes blurring from the speed of reading what his computer was showing him. "All I can tell you is that he's in LA, someplace east of Santa Monica but not past Beverly Hills."

Driving in the Challenger with Sam, Callen swore. "_Not good enough Eric. We can't go knocking down doors from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica Pier._"

"_Not even with SWAT and LAPD helping out,_" Deeks agreed. "_Watch it, Kensi! Red means stop, not power on through!_"

"_There has to be a faster way to track this guy,_" Kensi said, not heeding her partner's cry. "_Eric, there has to be something else you can try._"

"I can't do this by myself!" Eric snapped, finally losing patience with everybody. "I need Nell's help!"

As soon as he said those words, he knew it wasn't possible. Attacked in her own home earlier that day, Nell was at Pacific Beach Medical Hospital, severely beaten and unconscious. They'd already found the man responsible, and when he'd copped to being paid by Rathford to assault Nell, the team was after him with a vengeance.

But Eric knew he couldn't do this alone. Rathford was an insanely gifted hacker, and he had already proved a dangerous cyber-adversary by coming closer than anyone before him to hacking NCIS Office of Special Projects. Thankfully he'd been deflected without a loss of intel and no comprimised aliases, but it was only because Eric and Nell had been working in tandem.

Without Nell, Eric was only at half strength.

And Rathford knew it. Attacking NCIS OSP yet again, he was trying to worm his way past Eric while managing to ghost through all of Eric's attempts to reverse-track him.

But he still perservered. Using every microcircuit of his whole system, Eric was combing the entire City of Angels for Rathford. He checked and double-checked every possible place he could be, cross-checking with everything they already knew about the guy. He sent feelers in every direction, setting a cyber-web over Los Angeles like a spider and hoping the intelligent fly would screw up and get caught.

Suddenly an alarm went off on one of the terminals. Swiveling in his chair to look, Eric did a double-take and his jaw dropped in shock.

It was Nell's computer that was going off.

"What the - ?" said Hetty, leaning in to look at the lines of letters and numbers that started scrolling down the screen. "What is this, Eric?"

His eyes scanned the code that was filling up the screen. A smile tilted the corners of his mouth up. "Nell set up some kind of program," he said, going back to type with new ferocity. "It must've been tripped when Rathford attacked again, and now it's starting up."

"What does it do, exactly?" asked Hetty, not accustomed to being left out of the loop.

"It's tracking him." He cracked his knuckles and input a few commands on Nell's keyboard. "That'll hone in on Rathford, and I can focus on keeping him out of OSP."

"How long?" Hetty wanted answers, not explainations.

"Two minutes, tops."

One hundred and fifteen seconds later, they had the address.

* * *

When Nell woke up, the sun had already set outside her window. Blinking to clear the haze from her vision, she turned her head to see Eric sitting by her bedside. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied, scooting closer. "How you feeling, rockstar?"

"Stiff. Like someone whaled on me with a baseball bat."

He nodded with a grimace. "Yeah, sounds about right." He reached over and took her hand. "We got the guy who did this to you, Nell. And we got Rathford."

A tired smile spread over her face. "My program worked?"

"Start-up was a little slow, but it found him."

She gave a weak laugh. "Good. At least I could help nail the bastard." Green eyes looked at him. "No comprimised covers? No intel lost?"

Eric shook his head. "Nope. I managed to keep him out long enough." His grip on her hand tightened. "We make a good team, even when you're lying in a bed."

They shared a laugh at that, then spent a few minutes in comfortable silence. Nell broke it in a quiet, almost bashful voice.

"Honestly, I got a little worried about actually leaving the program that way," she confessed. "I didn't think - I thought you wouldn't know what it was."

"At first, I didn't," Eric admitted. "But then I remembered who my partner was. And I figured it out, no sweat."

Nell smiled. Squirming in her bed to get comfortable, she let out a light sigh. "I'm gonna go back to sleep. You staying?"

"If you want me to," said Eric. At her nod, he pulled over another chair and rested his feet on the seat like a footrest. "Then I'm here, Nell."

She fell asleep holding his hand, and he didn't let go all night.

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**The fluff...the fluff! It's giving me cavaties! ^_^ but you like it, don't you?**

**Review please!**


	22. Friends

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #21: Friends - It took a while, and it was rough, but the day came when Eric could truthfully call his partner his friend.**

**Words: 491**

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When they first met, Eric Beale could not even fathom calling Nell Jones his friend, let alone his partner.

He thought that Intelligence Analysts were annoying; Hetty wasn't alone in that respect. The ones that hadn't made it before had washed out because A, Hetty found them irritating, and B, Eric couldn't work with them. When Nell showed up, and all through the obligatory first week, the blond Tech Operator was just about ready to push her over the railing himself.

When she stole his whistle? Oooooooh, she was so glad he hadn't been expecting it or she would've been _dead_.

Then she started to prove herself and her usefulness to the team. Gradually Eric got used to the idea that another person could quite possibly be a good idea to have around Ops. Slowly, he decided that having an Intelligence Analyst for a partner wasn't a total walking migraine.

Slowly, gradually, Eric grew accustomed to Nell. Once he learned about her personality and her control issues with men she admired (earning a double-take from him) he started cutting her some slack. When they found an arrangement that worked, both Eric and Nell agreed that their teamwork was slowly getting better.

From there, friendship started to creep in without his noticing.

It started small. They fought less and talked more. They got used to each other's strange quirks. When he paused for breath, she'd pick up the thread, and when she paused, he came back into the conversation.

Then the little things grew. They started looking after each other. When one left for the field, the other would wonder how their partner was holding up. If something happened, they were there to make sure their partner was okay.

After one really bad case, everyone's nerves were more than a little fried. So when Callen announced an impromptu night out, Eric and Nell were quick to tag along. They rode in Eric's car, driving behind the Challenger and Kensi's silver car.

Somehow it happened without Eric realizing she'd moved. Sometime between pulling out of the Mission's parking lot and ten minutes before they arrived at the club, Nell's hand drifted over to rest over his. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, but she didn't look over at him. So he didn't look over at her.

A small thing, but it meant a lot to him.

Little things. That's how it always begins, right?

Friends are always there for you. They listen to you, give you advice, and sometimes can say everything they need to without saying anything at all. It may take a while to find a friend that good, but when you do, you hold on tight.

Eric was glad he had Nell as such a good friend.

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**Short, but nice, right? Review and show love please!**


	23. Surprise

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #22: Surprise - His best friend smirked as he signed _You've totally got the hots for her _after Eric described how he couldn't look at her the same after seeing her in that dress.**

**Words - 1,119**

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Eric scratched the back of his neck, leaning back in his chair as he stared at his computer screen. But his mind wasn't on his assignment.

Last night, he'd had a few drinks and caught up with his deaf best friend from his old neighborhood. After a little bit, Eric started telling him about Nell. More specifically, his recent problem with talking to Nell. The thing he mentioned that stuck in his mind was telling his buddy about how, when she had to go to a fancy party (undercover, a necessity given the fact that everyone else had been made), Hetty put Nell in a dress that, quite frankly, took his breath away. After that op, he hadn't been able to look at his partner the same without that image coming back to the forefront of his mind.

His friend had grinned like an idiot and signed, quite smugly, **You've totally got the hots for her.**

Back in the present, Eric smacked his forehead. _Why in hell did I tell him that? Stupid idiot. I knew he'd jump on it like a rabid coyote. _Rubbing his now-sore forehead, he tilted his head back and slouched backwards in his chair.

Unbidden, that image of Nell came back. Hetty had pulled out all the stops for her; since her stature ruled out a lot of the clothes they already had, Nell had been put in an evening gown that had been specifically altered to fit her frame and accomodate her height. Strapless, with stone pinches at her bosom and her waist, satin colored a pure ocean blue that brought out her red hair and green eyes, and accented by a black shawl, she'd looked incredible. Forced to wear high heels by Hetty, she'd actually came close to Eric's own height. A fact he had realized when helping her prep for the op, giving her an earbud and helping her rehearse her alias's key lines and smelling her Chanel perfume -

_No, no no no! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! _he silently scolded his brain, shaking his head to dispel the thoughts. _Nell is my partner! My partner!_

A treacherous little part of his brain cackled, _Yeah, and that argument works so well for Deeks._

**You've totally got the hots for her.**

Eric groaned as he slimped forward in his chair and buried his face in his hands. Why, why, _why_ was life being such a bitch to him? He'd worked with Nell for months, and nothing like this had ever come up. Okay, once before, when she mentioned her control issues with men she admired, but that was it.

And maybe when she mentioned how she ignored the boys she liked...

And possibly when he started calling her 'rockstar'...

And when he was smelling her perfume when she was in that dress...

But beyond that, she was his partner! Nothing more!

**You've totally got the hots for her.**

_Oh my god. _The surfing geek's head dropped to hit the tabletop of his desk. _He was right. As usual, the bastard was right._

He did have the hots for Nell. And thanks to that stupid op, now he had the perfect fantasy image of her stuck in his head on instant replay. Worst part was, it wasn't a purely imaginative image. It had actually happened.

Therefore, it was stuck in his head.

"Why, man?" he moaned. "Why did you have to say it outright?"

Not that he could tell her. _Hey, I kinda really like you _wasn't really a good opening line. And having a relationship with your female partner was not a good idea - Callen and Deeks's previous partners were prime examples.

Raising his head, Eric rested his elbow on the desk, made a fist, and bonked his forehead against it. "Dammit," he muttered. "Dammit, dammit, dammit." Each swear was enhanced with a self-inflicted clonk to the noggin. "Crap."

**You've totally got the hots for her.**

"I know, I know..."

"Know what?" asked a quiet voice from the doorway of Ops. Eric's head snapped around to see Nell standing there, holding a cup of coffee and looking shyly in. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Eric replied, stretching to cover how bad he was shaking from the shock. _How long was she standing there? _he wondered. "What's up?"

"Hetty wants the follow-up on that data I hijacked from that party. Did you decrypt it yet?"

He had to banish that image of Nell in her dress from his mind to speak without stammering. "Yeah, I did," he said, pulling it up. "It's, uh, the blueprints for that experimental guided missile that went missing."

Nell leaned over his shoulder, her hair brushing his ear. "Thought so," she murmured. "The passcodes protecting it were high-level stuff, just what you'd use to keep this safe."

Eric was trying to breathe normally, but it was hard to do when he smelled that familiar perfume wafting from his partner's skin. Which made him think of her in that dress. Which made him think - _No, stop, bad Eric, bad bad bad Eric!_

"What're you wearing?" he choked out, trying to remain calm.

She looked over at him. "What d'you mean?"

"That smell, it's kinda familiar..."

"You like?" Nell gave a little smile. "It's Coco Mademoiselle from Chanel. I liked how it smelled when I wore it for that op, so I got some for myself. It's nice, right?"

"Yeah," he said on the exhale, focusing hard on his computer screen. "It's...it's very you, Nell."

"Really?" she asked, her smile growing bigger. "You think? It was kind of expensive, but I'm glad it was worth it."

Eric nodded in agreement, handing her the flash drive with the information Hetty wanted. "Here. All ready for Hetty."

"Thanks, Eric. See you." She straightened up and left, but her fragrance stayed behind to linger.

**You've totally got the hots for her.**

"Ugh," Eric groaned, shaking his head in defeat. Then, taking a deep breath, he went back to work.

It was true. He definitely liked Nell.

What a surprise.

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**Lolz, this was fun to torture Eric. Review please!**


	24. Words

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #23: Words - She frowned as she asked if 4-5683-968-65 was a code she had to solve. He grinned and said yes, she just had to figure out the secret message.**

**Words: 792**

* * *

Nell frowned at the strange puzzle Eric had left her with. His soft smile and quiet assurance of her success had been equally strange. Now, alone in Ops while everyone else had left for drinks and karaoke, Nell tried figuring out what this odd code her partner left her meant.

The numbers seemed random, seperated by dashes that weren't consistant with a phone number. Some repeats, but not enough to mark a discernable pattern for her. She huffed once, annoyed that her brain wasn't giving her an immediate answer.

Grabbing her keyboard, she started searching for any possible uses for such a long string of numbers. The list was a long one. But with each one, she struck out.

Serial number? Nope.

Case number? Nothing.

Social Security number? Uh-uh.

Bank account? Nada.

Coordinates? Strike-out.

Telephone number? No.

_What is it? _Nell wondered, biting her index finger's knuckle as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _It can't be something overly complicated. Eric wouldn't leave me something I couldn't solve with just a lame clue like "Yeah, just find the secret message." He's not that cruel. _Scratching her head, she leaned back and let out a groan.

The numbers stared back at her, black digits on her screen and on the big screen beside her, pulsing slowly as they taunted her to figure out what secret they held.

Ten numbers on a mission to damage her state of mind.

4-5683-968-65.

"C'mon Jones, think it through," she muttered, leaning forward and spearing her fingers through touseled red hair as her elbows rested on her desk. "It can't be this hard. Eric's all about the obvious." Her cell phone rang, and she answered without looking. "What?"

"_Figure it out yet?_"

She grimaced a little. "Not funny, Eric Beale. What exactly is this thing? I'm considering running it through an algorithim finder."

He chuckled. "_Nell, you're over-thinking it. As I thought you would. You want a hint?_"

"Couldn't hurt," she said.

"_Okay then. Forget all the usual searches we do to find out hidden meanings. You'll just exhaust yourself, and you're looking too far out. The key's in the palm of your hand._"

Nell made a face of disbelief. "What? Really? You're pulling a cryptic-Hetty on me?"

"_Just think about that for a bit. Later._"

She ended the call and stuck her tongue out at her phone. "Moron," she grumbled.

Then she saw something. Specifically her phone's light-up keypad. Numbers, with corresponding letters underneath them.

_The key's in the palm of your hand._

Opening a new window, Nell looked at the numbers Eric had given her again. Quickly she started substituting letters for numbers, beginning at the first letters in sequence.

G-JMTD-WMT-MJ. _No. _

H-KNUE-XNU-NK. _Not that either. _

I-LOVF-YOV-OL. _Nope._

"There has to be an easier way," she murmured. Glancing at the dashes, she began thinking about certain words having certain letters. Grabbing a pencil and pen, she started to jot as she thought.

_Okay, well, there are only two words I can think of that are only one letter, A and I. A is 2 on the keypad, so 4 must be I. _On the pad, under 4, she wrote I.

Suddnely she looked at the third cycle of letters again. Her brain began thinking something she hadn't been expecting, and she quickly shut it down. _No way. No._

But her hand moved anyway, filling in the appropriate letters where they'd only been one off before.

I-LOVE-YOU-

And 65 - the last two letters - could only be one thing.

NJ.

_I love you NJ._

"Oh my god," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hands. A breathy laugh escaped through her lips as a tear glimmered in her eye. "Oh god, Eric." Fingers crumbling and tightening to tangled fists, her smile becomes wobbly as she fully realizes what this means.

Grabbing her cell phone, she sent a quick text to him. Then she grabbed her coat and took off.

* * *

At the bar, Eric's phone buzzed. He checked the message, then grinned and blushed like an idiot when he saw her reply.

63-866-32.

_Me too EB._

* * *

**Because if he ever does admit that he likes her, it has to be done geek-code-style. Just saying.**

**Hit the 150 review mark! *confetti everywhere* Please review, let's get to 200!**


	25. Glasses

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #24: Glasses - Curious, Nell checked out his specs and almost went cross-eyed at the strength of his prescription.**

**Words: 564**

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It was too much to pass up.

It had bugged me _forever. _I mean, he almost never takes them off! The only time he does is when he dons the magnifying glasses in the gadget room. Never in Ops.

So when I walked into our techie cave of wonder and saw Eric's glasses resting on his desk, I couldn't keep my fingers from reaching.

I can't help my curiosity. I like to think that's what makes me such a good investigator. I get curious, so I dig and dig and dig until I find what I want to know.

People with glasses made me wonder about their glasses. I knew that prescriptions were all different, but the most powerful ones I'd ever tried on were moderate ones. They barely made my eyesight change or strain.

Then again, they'd been reading glasses. Or bifocals. Nothing really bad.

Eric _never _took off his glasses, so I'd never had an opportunity like this before. I probably wouldn't get another one like it.

Scuttling over, I picked up the glasses. Polishing the lenses, I held them up to the light to get an idea of just how strong his prescription was. The light fixture warped through the glass, but it didn't look that bad.

So I put them on.

Worst. Mistake. Ever.

My eyes crossed almost immediately. It hurt to look through the lenses. Yanking them off my face, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to fight off the migraine that was just waiting to attack me.

Damn, but that _hurt! _Way worse than anything I'd ever felt before. And he looked through them every day?

Geez, his eyes were messed up. Bad.

"Nell, what are you doing?"

I had a carefully constructed answer ready in case he caught me, but the shock and headache I had now blew it away. "Trying on your glasses," popped out of my mouth.

"And why would you do that?" I heard his footsteps come closer, then felt a hand steady me. "Here, give me them. I kinda need them to see."

I shook my head, trying to dispel the pain. "Damn Eric, how messed up are your eyes? I couldn't even see anything through them."

He plucked his glasses from my hands. Cracking open one eye, I was glad to see that everything had stopped spinning. He gave me a grin. "You really shouldn't have done that, Nell."

"How was I supposed to know you're practically blind without those things?" I argued.

That cute grin got bigger. "C'mon Nell, you're telling me a great Intelligence Analyst like you didn't know something so important as my eyeglasses prescription?" he teased.

"Contrary to your deluded beliefs, I don't waste valuable resources on finding out every little thing about your life and health," I shot back with my own smile.

Besides, learning some things on my own is a fun experience.

Finding out how bad his prescription was, however, was not one of them.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Mystery solved.

* * *

**Just a drabble I had fun with.**

**Wow. Just...wow. 162 reviews, and we're not even halfway through! Please review some more!**


	26. Fist

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt** **#25: Fist - "I...tripped down the stairs?" she hedged with a sheepish grin as his usually jovial face clouded with rage, his hand gently cupping her cheek just below the swollen black eye. Behind them, Sam and Callen winced as they imagined what her partner would do to her boyfriend (not that the team wouldn't offer their help).**

**This is Part 2 of the three-part story that started with #10, Conflict. Enjoy!**

**Words: 1,814**

* * *

Nell slunk into the Mission with her head hung low, her hair hiding part of her face and her feet moving stealthily, trying not to draw attention to herself. She tried to get to the ladies' room without being seen.

Her eye throbbed painfully. Sucking in a breath, she reached up to lightly touch under her eye. _Please let me just get to the bathroom. I can lock the door and then no one will - _

"Nell?"

_Oh no,_ she thought, freezing in place. "M-Morning Sam," she said without turning around.

"What wrong, Nell? Why're you sneaking around?"

_Crap! _"I'm trying to get to the bathroom," she blurted out. "I left home without putting on my makeup and I got a really bad breakout on my face, so..."

"Okay," said the big man. "Hey, you sound kinda tired."

"Didn't get much sleep," she said.

He left her alone, but Nell knew she didn't have much time. He'd mention her strange behavior to Callen, who'd talk to Kensi (and Deeks, if he arrived with her), who'd then say something to Eric, who'd come looking for her. She had maybe twenty minutes.

Locking the bathroom door behind her, Nell dug into her purse and pulled out concealer, foundation, blush, and a hairbrush. Arranging it around the sink, she took a deep breath and looked up to see the damage.

Her eye was turning a nasty shade of dark purple, but thankfully the swelling had gone down. Another bruise followed the line of her cheekbone, and there was a harsh red mark on her neck. Another deep breath calmed her down, and she picked up the concealer to begin covering up the marks.

She still wasn't entirely sure how it all happened. After a nice Friday night out, she and her boyfriend had gone back to her place for a movie and some cuddling. A quarter way through the movie, and Nell had the strange feeling that he was trying something. Something she didn't like. So she had sat up and asked him to quit it.

The slap had come from out of nowhere. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, on her back with him over her, his mouth latched onto her neck like a leech. Instinct had kicked in, and she kneed him in the gut to break his hold, then she slammed the heel of her palm into his face. Nose broken and bleeding, Christopher had cleared out of there in record time, leaving a terrified Nell lying on the floor of her living room, gasping for air and nursing a black eye. Needless to say, she hadn't slept well for the next couple days - a fact she hadn't lied about to Sam.

Once the marks were sufficiently covered and her makeup made to look natural (fifteen minutes - not bad), Nell collected herself one more time and left the bathroom to face the day. Smiling at the team, she grabbed some coffee and headed up to Ops.

Eric was waiting for her. "Hey Nell, what's shakin'?" he asked, his gaze never leaving his computer screen.

"Hey Eric." She walked over to her desk and started working. "Got a new case?"

His fingers suddenly stopped typing. Nell made the mistake of glancing over at him in surprise. Her partner was staring at her, confused and concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You seem...different."

"Nothing's wrong," Nell said, quickly looking back to her screen.

"Don't lie to me," he said. Nell was surprised to hear a hint of anger in his voice. "Tell me what's the matter, Nell."

_He can't see the bruising, can he? _"Nothing," she insisted. "Nothing's wrong. What's with the interrogation, Eric?"

Eric closed everything on his computer and swiveled to fully face Nell. His hand reached over, and Nell instinctively flinched away. "What?" she snapped.

"Why have you been crying?"

The sheer amount of tenderness in his voice drove her to tears again. Biting her trembling lip, she looked up at him, now giving Eric the view he needed to see her tears carve track marks through her makeup.

"What happened to you?" he whispered, reaching for the black eye. When she didn't recoil again, he cupped her face gently, minding the bruises. "Nell, what happened?"

Her eyes dropped in shame, tears dripping from her eyelashes. "I - I didn't want to," she whispered brokenly. "He - he wanted to go further, and I didn't want to, and then he - he h-h-hit me." Her voice caught and choked on the word. "Then he g-got on top of me and I c-c-couldn't get him off..." Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she kept talking. "I kneed him in the gut and then I drove the heel of my palm into his nose..." She started to demonstrate but stopped, noticing for the first time that she had a cut on her hand. "I didn't see that before," she remarked dully.

"Oh God, Nell," Eric breathed, horrified. His arms tightened as if he wanted to hold her, then relaxed like he'd decided against it. "Then what?"

"Then he ran out of my apartment with a bloody nose." It sounded anticlimactic, but Eric knew she was still reeling from the fact that she'd managed to escape without any lasting damage. "I double-locked everything and waited for Monday..."

His eyes widened behind his glasses. "You've been locked up in your apartment since Friday? Jesus Christ, Nell, why didn't you call someone? Callen, or Sam, or Kensi, or Deeks? Why didn't you call _me_?"

"I didn't want you to get involved! I couldn't!" she sobbed, breaking down against his chest. Eric quickly caught her in his arms, rubbing her back and stroking her hair to reassure her.

Knowing that his partner had been in fear of her life for the last three days was heart-wrenching. Knowing that he hadn't known about it was even worse, like his heart had been ripped from his chest.

Knowing, from the beginning, the man his partner had been seeing was dangerous, and having it proven to him in this way - that was a hell he'd ever felt before.

"I'm scared to go back now, Eric," she sobbed, her first spoken words in several minutes of crying. "I'm scared he'll be there again."

Eric's arms tightened around her. "Again?"

She shivered, her fists grabbing handfuls of his shirt. "He'd...show up a couple times a day, just...waiting for me out front..."

"That's stalking, Nell. Why didn't you - " He stopped short, realizing why she hadn't called anyone. "Jesus, Nell. You made one bad call. We wouldn't be the ones to say 'I told you so'."

"But you knew," she said in a small voice. Now that she'd cried herself out, her voice was steadier. "You ran a background check on him too."

Eric stiffened, caught red-handed. "Too?" he asked, not bothering to insult her intelligence and deny it.

"Don't play coy. I know you and Deeks both ran your checks as soon as you learned his name." She shook her head. "Deeks I get, since he asked to run it - "

"Wait, you let Deeks run a check on this guy but you didn't want me to?" Eric said without thinking. Checking himself, he said, "Never mind. Point is, you should have called someone, Nell. We all care about you, and we would've come over to make sure you were all right." One hand reached up to his mouth and let out an earsplitting whistle.

Nell shot up straight, shocked and a little scared at his action. "What're you doing?"

"Doing what you should have done. Calling in the cavalry."

In less than a minute the NCIS team entered Ops. One glance at Nell, and they immediately fell to their tasks as if commanded; Kensi walked over and took Nell from Eric, leading her to the bathroom with Deeks on their heels. Sam left to inform Hetty, while Callen looked to Eric and only said three words. "Was it him?"

Eric nodded tersely. "Friday. She's been locked in her apartment since then, and he's stalked her just as long."

The other man dragged a hand down his face. "Dammit."

Deeks returned, his face creased in a serious look. "Kensi's starting the first-aid. Hetty's with them." His blue eyes cut over to Eric. "So, what're you going to do about this?"

"Me?" The surprise at being addressed made Eric's voice squeak a little.

"She's your partner. Your partner got hurt." Now Callen was being serious as a heart attack, likewise looking at the Tech Operator like he held the answer. "What are you going to do about it?"

Eric was one of those people who hated violence. That was the main reason he wasn't an agent and just an analyst; no field work. The only reason he was comfortable during the Druitt investigation was because he didn't have to take a gun into the field. Video games were okay, because they weren't real. The enemies there really hadn't pissed him off beside existing to try and kill his gamer-self.

But this was different. This was real. A real enemy.

And this wasn't about a game. This was about Nell.

The bastard had hurt Nell.

So Callen and Deeks were only mildly surprised when their easygoing Tech Operator gave them both a steely glare and said, "I'm going to set this guy straight."

Callen nodded. "Go tell Kensi and Hetty where we're going," he instructed Deeks. "I'll tell Sam to get the car ready." He beckoned Eric to follow him. "Let's go defend Nell's honor."

Eric got up and put down his keyboard. Cold rage was quelling his usual nervousness about inflicting violence on someone. Following Callen out of Ops, he spared one glance to make sure Nell was okay. Hetty was with her, applying first-aid to her black eye and the cut on her palm. The small woman saw them leave, then gave a small nod.

That nod spoke volumes. _Make this right._

Eric nodded back. _I will_.

Nobody hurt his partner and gets away with it.

* * *

**Badass!Eric is in the house! Yay!**

**Halfway through this one! Review please!**


	27. Habits

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA. _Damn.**

**Prompt #26: Habits - She still finishes his sentences, but he lets her. Sometimes, what she says makes more sense than what he'd been about to say.**

**Words: 523**

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When two people are together long enough, they start to pick up some interesting traits. Sometimes, they try new things. Other times, they sink into a comfortable routine. Personalities can vary. Temperments can change.

For Eric and Nell, it's all about the finishing of each other's sentences.

Nell's done it all her life. A product of her raising and her need for control. She knows it can be irritating, but it's like an automatic door; sensing an approach, her mouth opens to fill in the gap. Immediate completion of thought.

But soon, she realizes that Eric finds it annoying. So she explains herself to him and works to suppress her need to finish his thoughts. In time, it's almost an occasional occurance.

Then, quite by accident, it comes back in a very surprising way.

* * *

"The Commander's car was last seen here, on Rodeo Drive," Eric said, bringing up the traffic camera. "It's driving west - "

"And then it turns south here," Nell interrupted, typing on her own tablet to bring up another camera. "Then he continues down 4th Avenue - "

"Until he turns right and we lose him," Eric finished.

Sam's eyes glanced from one to the other. He was expecting Eric to blow a gasket at Nell; after the finishing-sentence fiasco from when she started working at OSP, it had generally tapered off. But now that it had returned, he wondered how the redhead's partner would take it.

Surprisingly, Eric wasn't annoyed. He just kept talking about the car. Sam was surprised, to say the least. Something had definitely changed between the techie partners.

* * *

"Sam looked a little - " Nell began.

"Surprised?" Eric continued. "Hm, well maybe because - "

"We were finishing each other's sentences?" she guessed. "And maybe because - "

"I didn't lose my temper." Eric nodded. "Yup, maybe. But really - "

"They should have noticed," Nell said, a smile coming to her lips. "I mean, honestly - "

His smile was just as big. "They're NCIS undercover agents, trained to observe. Why did it take this long - "

"For them to notice?"

"Right?" Eric scooted next to Nell, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "For being top-notch agents - "

Her cheeks were crimson as she finished, "They sure can't pick up simple clues."

* * *

Eric used to not like it when Nell finished his sentence. Now, however, he looks forward to it.

Callen and Sam have their quirks - sarcasm and hidden meanings being the top offenders. Kensi and Deeks have theirs as well - again, sarcasm, but playful flirting was also a close second.

He and Nell are no different. Instead of sarcasm, they have their blossoming ability to finish each other's thoughts.

He no longer saw it as an annoyance. Much to the contrary.

It meant that they were on the same page. If at different points on said page.

* * *

**Kinda cute, right? Please review, as they show your love!**


	28. Hospital

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA. _I just like this story.**

**Prompt #27: Hospital - It hadn't been gentle; several nasty bruises, a broken arm, and a concussion meant Eric had to stay for a few days. But the result was worth it; that bastard had cleared out of town, never to touch her again.**

**This is Part 3 of the three-parter consisting of #10 "Conflict" and #25 "Fist". Enjoy!**

**Words: 1,743**

* * *

Nell followed Hetty into Pacific Beach Medical, anxiously wringing her hands. Her nerves were stretched taut, making her hyperaware of everything - the smell of antiseptic, the click-click of wheelchairs and pens, the drone of automatic doors parting to allow them access to the ER. Kensi met them there, standing in the waiting room. She looked a little ruffled, but otherwise all right.

"He's being moved to a recovery room now. Doctor says he's gonna be okay."

"What happened to him?" Nell asked, afraid for her partner's health.

The taller woman looked at her with a carefully blank expression. Which meant she was phrasing her answer. Which meant she was either going to lie to or level with Nell.

But her answer was delayed with the appearance of Deeks. Like Kensi, he looked as if he'd been dragged through a small fight, but nothing serious. "Doc's checking him in now." He nodded to Nell and spoke next to Hetty. "We moved in before it got too serious."

"Thank you, Mister Deeks, Miss Blye," Hetty said. "I'm sure Mister Beale appreciated the gesture."

Nell looked at the three of them. "What are you talking about?" she snapped, finally losing her patience. "Tell me what's happened to Eric!"

The partners shared a look. ""He should be the one to tell you," Deeks said. Holding the door open for the women to pass through, he led them to the recovery room. Callen and Sam were standing outside, arms crossed and waiting. Another silent communique, and Deeks nudged Nell towards the door. "Go on."

Not sure about what she'd find, Nell entered the bright hospital room. First thing she saw was the splint on Eric's hand and wrist. The sight of plaster made her worry even more, as did the dark bruises she could see on his face and arms.

"What happened to you?" she asked, coming to his bedside. Her partner looked away, avoiding her eyes and her question. The evasiveness just made Nell worry more. "Eric, please tell me. I - I don't understand how you got here."

"It's..." He seemed to wrestle with his words before saying, "Complicated."

Nell glared at him. "You better tell me everything, or I swear to God, I'll hack into your Facebook and mess with everything."

Instead of the geeky outrage she had expected, Eric gave her a cold stare that threw Nell for a loop. He'd never given her a look like that.

The doctor entered the room and checked on Eric's sheet. "Well Mister Beale, you're healing up nicely," he said, oblivious to the tension between the partners. "The wrist is only fractured, but if you keep it in the splint you'll be able to use it in a few weeks. Your knuckles are only swollen, so they'll be all right after a few days. Keep ice on your bruises and you should be back to yourself after about two weeks." Checking the machines, the doctor headed out again.

Nell's eyes narrowed as she put the pieces together. "Those are fighting injuries," she said slowly. "Why were you fighting?"

He suddenly felt the need to polish his glasses. Mumbled words tumbled from his mouth, but they were too low and too fast for Nell to understand. "What? Slow down and talk louder."

Her partner coughed, eyes still trained on the glasses he was polishing on his blanket. "I set him straight."

It took less than a minute for her to connect the dots. Unconsciously her hand reached up to touch her black eye, now healing up to a green and yellow bruise. "You fought Christopher?" she whispered in horror.

"Not by myself," he said defensively, then added, "...by the end of it. Callen and Sam and Kensi and Deeks came with me, in a strictly assist-when-needed capacity."

Nell cast a dispairing look over his injuries. "Are you mental?" Her words came out sharper than intended, but she didn't care. Fear for his physical safety mixed with anger at his impulsiveness, producing a furiously emotional cocktail that made the analyst as fired up as her hair color. "What on earth were you thinking? Chris is twice your size, outweights you by forty pounds of muscle, and used to box in college. Facts that you ought to have known before you went in there, riding on that misguided train of thought that said you had to defend me. For God's sake, what happened to me was an accident, Eric!"

His fists tightened on top of his covers. "Partners look after each other," he said through clenched teeth, stubborn as a bull.

Temper still flaring, Nell spun around and stomped out, right past Hetty and the rest of the awestruck team.

* * *

"Assholian bastard!"

Callen frowned when he entered the break room and heard Nell's indignant shout. "Assholian bastard?" he repeated. "I don't think the vending machine deserved that insult, Nell. It didn't do anything wrong."

"You know who I meant!" she retorted, slamming her palm against the snack dispenser again.

"But assholian? Really?"

Nell glared at the vending machine. "I found it on Urban Dictionary, and it's appropriate. Stop distracting me!" she snapped at Callen, turning her blazing green eyes on him. "You didn't stop Eric from being a moron, so that means you're partially responsible too!"

Callen held up his hands. "Never said I wasn't. Look, Nell, what that guy did to you...it made Eric mad. Really mad. He was just looking after you."

"I can look after myself," she retorted.

"Nell, you walked into Ops with a black eye after hiding out in your apartment for a whole weekend." The undercover NCIS agent was gentle, but firm. "Trust me when I say Eric's course of action was completely justified."

At the mention of her injury, her hand reached up to touch the still-tender area. It had healed in the last few days, but the memory was enough to bring a fresh gasp of pain at times. "It wasn't his place," she mumbled.

Silence, but Nell could feel Callen's expression change from gentle to glaring. "Wasn't his place?" he repeated without inflection. "Wasn't his place?"

"Whose place?" asked Kensi, walking into the room with Deeks and Sam. "What's going on?" But Callen turned on his heel and walked away, his face still stormy. Kensi looked at Nell, who was shifting uncomfortably. "What is it, Nell?"

"Why did he do that?" the analyst said, more to herself than anyone else. "Why did he..."

Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "Nell, you're his partner," he said simply. "Even though you two don't get much field time, you're still partners. Someone hurt you, and Eric felt he had to make it right." Dropping his hand, he said to Kensi, "I'm going to calm Callen down. Coming?"

She left with him. Nell threw a glare at Deeks. "What? You're going to scold me too?"

The LAPD detective held up his hands to calm her. "No. But I will tell you something, Nell. I've seen and heard all the excuses for domestic violence. 'It was an accident' is a favorite, right up there with someone 'falling down the steps' and 'running into the door.' And even though they say 'it won't happen again' it always does."

And he left her in the break room with food for thought.

* * *

"Can I come in?"

Eric blinked the sleep out of his eyes to see Nell standing in the doorway. She was holding a gift-store teddy bear - he cracked a smile despite hurting everywhere - wearing rectangular glasses. "Sure, why not," he said. He watched her walk up and put the bear on his bed, then take a chair. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry for earlier." She swallowed, then met his eyes. Anxiety and concern clashed within her eyes. "What happened?"

The blonde hacker took a breath, never breaking eye contact with her. "We left right after making sure you were okay and Hetty had you. I decided to stop by your place and get that blanket you like to curl up in - you know, so you had something to hold. I figured I could confront him after I got you squared away. The others waited in the car and I went up by myself." He waited a beat, recalling how he'd dug out the spare key she'd given him and went inside. "I don't know how he got past those four. Either he was already in the building or he pulled around back and they never saw him...Anyway, I turn around and there's Christopher, all two hundred and fifty pounds of him." Deciding to skip over the gory details, he said, "We went at it for a couple minutes, then I heard Callen and Sam yelling, and Christopher was pulled off of me."

Nell didn't speak for a bit after that. Eric squirmed under her patient green gaze. "I had to do something," he blurted out. "I couldn't just sit around playing World of Warcraft knowing that he'd hurt you."

"What happened to Chris?"

Now a dry grin appeared on his bruised face. "We...talked a little. He decided to pack up and leave LA and never go near you again."

"You talked?" Her smile matched his for dryness.

"My support team may have been looming over him like alley cats over a mouse," Eric remarked. "But I like to think that I convinced him all by myself."

Which, to her, meant he'd laid down the law. Relaxing for the first time in three days, Nell reached over and covered his unsplinted hand with hers. "My hero," she murmured. "Get some sleep, okay?"

He nodded, eyelids already drooping closed. "Stay?"

"Sure."

After all, partners look after each other.

"Don't do anything so assholian ever again."

"Okay, Nell. For you."

* * *

**This was...okay, kinda cute, yes?**

**Review please! It shows your love for my stories!**


	29. Pride

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #28: Pride - He'd been watching on the boathouse cameras, so when he saw Nell cross verbal swords with Chambers' director, he had to grin as she outlined the problems with the Captain overlooking Medina's intel.**

**Words: 361**

* * *

Eric had plenty of reasons to be proud of his partner.

There were the obvious reasons, of course. Intelligent, great at intelligence gathering, and easy to depend on. She could stand her ground against some pretty interesting folks (like an intelligence overseer) and come up with great ideas (like how Nelson managed to paint a giant multi-cultural bulls-eye on Ray's back from prison) on the fly.

And he wasn't the only one who thought that way.

Hetty was always proud of Nell. Closer in more than just their shared height deficiency, the OSP head and the analyst were all about intel. They reminded people of a foxhunt - Hetty pointed her in the direction she wanted, and Nell would hunt down that foxy information until she had it in her jaws to deliver to Hetty. Not only that, but Hetty trusted Nell with certain things, secret things, and everyone knows that Hetty doesn't trust many people very easily.

The team was proud of Nell at certain times. Not only did she bring something new to the table, but she was a competent analyst who never let them down. No matter what it was about, from hidden bank accounts to secret meetings recorded from surveillence missions, if there was a hidden scrap of information crucial to the case, Nell could and would find it.

And, of course, they were proud of how she never, ever, backed down from something she felt strongly about.

One of the best moments had to be when she talked circles around Chambers's commander during the Medina affair. They had to fight their smirks when she took Medina's so-called "extreme" intel and outlined all the points of concern in clear, concise terms. Even afterwards, when he should have scolded her for the tongue-lashing she delivered, Callen could only say, "Pick on somebody your own size."

But there was something else, something more, that made Eric feel that warm, fuzzy shot of pride whenever she did something incredibly awesome.

He guessed because she was just an incredible rock star like that.

* * *

**Just a short little drabble. Meh. Please review!**


	30. Smiles

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #29: Smiles - She has different smiles for every occasion, but the one she shows the least is the one she saves for him.**

**Words: 539**

* * *

Nell smiled a lot.

Kensi noticed things like that, and she noticed how often her female teammate smiled while on the job. It was like she had crossed wires in her facial expression circuit board that had her smile every ten minutes, or sooner.

But there were all sorts of different smiles. Like some people pick clothes that color-coordinate, Nell's smiles seemed to be tailored to perfectly match whatever was happening around her.

She had a good-morning smile that was always on her face in the morning. It perked up the team no matter how ugly the day outside was or threatened to be. She also had a good-night smile that managed to give them all a little reason to smile back, no matter how bad the day had been.

If Hetty asked her for something, a little but bright smile was her choice. If it was a secret request, the smile was still present, but her lips would come together in a puzzled type of expression.

Nell had a half-smile whenever she found something particularly intriguing. One corner of her mouth would lift, giving her a Puckish appearance. If what she thought of was extremely funny and tease-worthy, she'd flash some teeth in that snarky half-grin.

There was one smile, almost a twist of the lips, that she got when something perplexed her. But it was a playful twist, because she was rarely if ever got angry at the intel. Intel was intel, and nothing could really change it. When she said that, her smile was turn into a tiny smirk.

If she was surprised, her smile would be an open one that released her bell-like laugh. It transformed her face into something innocent and childlike (not that she didn't already look like a mischevious pixie).

But of all the smiles Nell wore, Kensi would only pick one as her absolute favorite. Simply because it was rare, genuine, and something that very few people ever got to see. Kensi herself had only seen it once, and that was by accident.

It had been a late night at OSP, and she'd headed up to Ops to see if Eric and Nell wanted to join the team for drinks. The doors to Ops had been open, so she started to go in - and slammed on the brakes, ducking behind the door.

It wasn't because they were standing very close to each other, or because Eric's hand was cupped against Nell's cheek. It wasn't even because of their shy smiles at each other, like high school sweethearts who had stolen some time to be alone with each other.

No, it was because of how Nell was smiling at Eric. It was a soft smile, warm and loving, something so intimate that Kensi felt herself almost blush. She slipped back down the steps and made the necessary excuses to the team. After all, why ruin such a special moment?

Nell never showed the smile to the team. Kensi could tell. That was something she saved for Eric.

So Kensi kept it to herself.

* * *

******Awww, the cuteness! **

**200 reviews? Wow, I really appreciate the love!**

**Review please!**


	31. Rescue

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA. _I'm just playing with the characters.**

**Prompt #30: Rescue - Sam may have disabled the guard, Callen may have cut her loose, Deeks may have driven her back, Kensi may have helped her up the stairs - but Eric's quick thinking had ultimately saved her, and she hugged him long and hard to show just how much she appreciated it.**

**Words: 1,233**

* * *

Where am I? Wha...what happened?

I sit up, and immediately my head is killing me. I fight the urge to pass out, or worse, puke. My head feels like someone stuck it in a beehive.

Where am I? I don't recognize the room. I start looking around until I feel something sticky on my face. When I reach up, I realize that my hands are tied together with plastic cuffs.

Oh no.

How could I forget? I got kidnapped. Right off my front doorstep. I want to curse, but leave it for later.

What is on my face? I reach up again and touch the sticky liquid. It stains my fingers red. Blood.

I'm bleeding? Or I was - it's congealed. I vaguely remember something hitting me when I struggled to get free...It's all a blur.

How long have I been out? Is the team looking for me?

Not sure to the first. Maybe, to the second.

Depends on how long I've been gone and if they realize that I'm gone.

First things first. Gotta check out my surroundings.

I sit up more comfortably and look around completely. I'm in a metal room, six by eight by six, to my best guess. There's a little window near the cieling that lets in some sunlight. The door is metal, thick but scarred, and shut tight. I start to get up, but my ankles are plastic-cuffed together.

Terrific. Can't even make a break for it.

My eyelids feel heavy. Oh geez, did they drug me? Crap, gotta stay awake. Gotta stay...stay awake...

* * *

I wake up to a gun in my face. Not a great feeling. Thankfully I don't flinch, or worse, squeal like a wussy girl.

"Miss Jones," says my captor. "We need to talk."

"About?" I ask back. I'll play dumb, see what they know.

He makes a noise that I hesitate to call a laugh, it's so dark. It's a promise, unspoken and scary. I wish I was back in Ops, where it's safe. "About the file you stole from me," he says. "Project Reagan."

Oh, damn. "I don't have it."

"No, but I'm sure the person you work for will pay dearly to get you back."

"Like hell."

His smile is anything but warm. "We'll see. The video will convince them otherwise."

I blink. "What video?" But he's getting up and walking out of the room, leaving me alone. Pushing myself up, I wince when something in my shoulder shifts wrong.

My left arm's been hurt. Sprain? Fracture? I'm not sure. I try to keep it still.

But this guy made a serious mistake. He made a video. Which meant Eric would find everything he needed in the metadata, right down to when it was made. They'll know I'm alive.

I should try and figure out something about where I am, just in case it's needed.

Getting to my feet is challenging with my hobbled ankles, but I manage. I try to peek out the window, but I'm too short. Dammit.

Whatever he drugged me with was strong. I feel woozy again. Like the floor is shifting...wait, is that a bell? No, a buoy!

I'm on a ship! There's no sound of a motor, so we must be anchored at a pier.

What's that? I hear people shouting outside. Someone's running on deck. People are yelling, sounding really pissed off.

Gunfire! What's happening? I get to my feet, ready in case something happens. If they come to take me, I won't make it easy.

The guard outside shouts, "Wait!" then something goes down, hard, on the ground. I crouch, ready to spring.

"Nell?" comes a shout.

"Sam?" I yell. I can't believe it! "Sam, is that you?"

"Hang on Nell, we're coming to get you!" Callen too! They found me!

The door swings open. Callen and Sam run in, and Callen pulls out a knife and cuts the plastic ties away. My wrists and ankles prickle and sting. "They drugged me," I tell them.

Without another word they scoop me up, one arm for each, and support me as we get out of the hold. My feet really don't support me well, so I appreciate their help. "How did you find me so fast?" I ask them.

"Eric knew you were missing twenty minutes after you were taken," Sam replies. "He caught the kidnapping attempt on a traffic cam near your house. We were there fifteen minutes after that."

"But how did you find me?"

Callen grins. "They sent us a video an hour ago, live feed over the internet. Eric worked his magic and found everything he needed from what he could see in the video."

"He found me that fast?" I'm astonished.

We're on deck now. Kensi and Deeks hurry over, leaving my captors in the capable hands of NCIS agents. "We'll take her back to the Mission," says Kensi. "Can you guys handle things here?"

"Sure," says Sam. He pats my shoulder. "You owe Eric a huge thank you, Nell."

I owe him so much more than that.

* * *

I'm still a little jittery. Adrenaline, I guess. Kensi sits in the back with me, holding my hand. Deeks drives.

Was I really only an hour away from the Mission? So close, but in my tiny room it felt like I'd been totally alone.

Deeks pulls up and drops us off. Kensi helps me inside, still steadying me. The drugs aren't completely out of my system yet.

I see Ops. "I need to see Eric."

"Nell, you should lie down," Kensi says.

"No." I try and be strong, to tell her I'm all right, but it's a lie. But this isn't. "I have to see Eric. Now."

She wants to argue. I can tell. But I have to see him.

He has to see that I'm okay.

Kensi helps me walk up the stairs. I catch a glimpse of Hetty at her desk. She's looking up at me, a relieved smile on her face as she sips tea.

Maybe after this, I'll have some too. I do need to calm down.

But first things first.

He must've been waiting. His face is the first thing I see when the doors to Ops swish open.

Relief. Sheer, unmasked relief. That's his trembling expression when he sees me.

I run into his arms. He holds me tight, like he's afraid I'll disappear. "Thank God you're all right," he breathes into my ear.

"Thank yourself," I sob back, clutching him tighter. "Thank you, Eric. You saved me."

The others may have brought me home, but he found me. He always finds me.

I'll always love him for that.

* * *

**My brain coughed this up for that highly-unlikely and totally off chance that Nell gets kidnapped. Cute, right?**

**Review, if you please!**


	32. Relief

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA _or the reference to 2x10 "Deliverance."**

**Prompt #31: Relief - They shared a terrified look when the explosion blasted over the earwigs, and her hand sought his in fear. They leaned against each other, suddenly weak, when Deeks confirmed that he and Kensi were safe.**

**Words: 1,140**

* * *

Eric tapped on his keyboard anxiously. "All right guys, it looks like you're clear. Go get her."

"_Showtime, Deeks,_" came Callen's voice.

Deeks sounded stressed, annoyed, but game. "_I hate opening nights._"

Sitting next to him, Nell leaned closer to Eric. "They'll get her back, right?" she asked him.

The Tech Operator nodded. "They'll get her back." He looked at his partner, who was worrying her lower lip with her teeth. "Don't worry, Nell. Your little bird book will be up to the task."

"I hope you're right," she murmured as Deeks started talking to the Russian.

They held their breath as the Russian spoke of the Olympics and Deeks cut him off, demanding Kensi. The book was exchanged. Nell bit the inside of her cheek as she awaited the verdict of her hastily manufactured work of Cold War secrets.

Thankfully Deeks kept the spy from ruining the ruse. He exchanged the book for Kensi's location, then took off up the stairs. Eric let out the breath he'd been holding and touched his headset. "Callen, Sam, he's coming out with the book. Deeks is heading for Kensi."

"_We're on this guy._"

Nell glanced at Eric. "Deeks is going to find her, right?"

He nodded reassuringly. "Of course he is. Kensi will be fine. We'll get her back."

They both looked to the feed, where Kensi was still standing in the corner of the room. They listened as Deeks headed into one of the stadium's rooms, opened the door, and yelled her name.

On the video, Kensi tensed up. "_Deeks, stop!_" she yelled, her voice getting picked up on Deeks's earbud. "_Switch off the lights._"

"What's she talking about?" Eric wondered, frowning. "What difference will lights - Whoa." His jaw dropped when he saw the lasers that crossed the entire room like a lethal spiderweb, revealed by the darkness.

"Oh my God," breathed Nell, her hands going up to cover her mouth.

"_Okay,_" Deeks said. "_Now we know why you didn't move. It's not like a, disco-ball kind of thing, is it?_"

"_They're triggers,_" Kensi replied. "_Break the beam, the explosives detonate._"

"_Okay. Yeah. Bomb squad_."

Eric was already dialing when Kensi spoke up, voice breaking slightly. "_Deeks, I can't stand here any longer. Please._"

And Deeks heard it too. "_No, no, it's okay, it's okay. We'll, uh...plan B_."

"_Okay, what's plan B?_"

Nell looked back at her partner. "Does he have a plan B?"

"Knowing Deeks?"

"_Hm? I'm working on it_."

"Probably not. But he's resourceful," Eric said. "He'll figure something out."

It took the LAPD detective all of two minutes to come up with plan B. Kensi did not look or sound pleased with it. "_What, plan B is to put me out of my misery?_"

"_They're laser triggers. If the collector is recieving light at the right frequency, it's not going to register the beam has been broken_."

His plan came to Eric in a flash of insight. "He's using the laser sight for his weapon. It'll trick the connector into thinking that the beams are still unbroken."

"_Okay. So, you've seen this being done before, right?_"

"_Yeah, no I mean, kind of. Yeah, well I, in a, in a book. It was very helpful_."

"Deeks!" Nell groaned.

Eric tried to reassure her. "It should work. In theory."

Kensi's face on the screen looked less than hopeful. Deeks then said, "_We can call the bomb squad_."

"_Just..._" She gave a tiny shake of her head. Turning slightly, she pointed to the laser crossing in front of her chest. "_This one_."

What followed was the most intense version of Laser Limbo the techs had ever witnessed. Deeks was only visible by his laser sight, which hit the black conectors sunk into the walls. Kensi tilted, ducked, and bent backwards ninety degrees to navigate the lattice of red beams that kept her caged. With each near miss, Nell and Eric sucked in harsh breath. When she cleared them, the breaths were released in a whoosh of relief.

Then came the trip-up. Deeks's laser gun couldn't reach the one collector needed to nix the hurdle. "_I can't get it. I think you're gonna have to do this one yourself._"

She looked horrified. Nell sat up in her chair, her lip already bleeding from biting it too hard. Eric wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her hand in his. "It'll be okay," he whispered. "Kensi will be okay."

They watched her slide under the last laser, then straighten up to find three more blocking her escape. Deeks's hands entered the camera frame, reaching out to her. Kensi looked at him in shock. "_Are you sure?_"

"_No_."

"What's he doing?" Nell asked.

Kensi securely linked hands with Deeks, then braced herself. Deeks said, "_On three. You ready?_" When she nodded, he began. "_One_."

She said, "_Two_."

"What are they doing?" Nell asked, her eyes going wide. Eric couldn't reply; he'd figured it out and didn't want to jinx it.

Deeks and Kensi both yelled, "_Three!_"

The explosion blasted through Deeks's earbud as the camera was destroyed, plunging the screen into snow and static. Nell recoiled at the sound, clutching Eric's hand in fear as they sat in Ops. He held her tightly as they listened, praying that Kensi and Deeks would be okay. Seconds crawled by.

"_Deeks, status!_" Sam yelled. No answer.

Tears brimmed in Nell's eyes. "Oh my God."

Callen tried next. "_Deeks, what's your status?_"

"_We're good._" Deeks sounded all right as he asked, "_You okay?_" to Kensi, who replied.

But the techs were too busy breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank God," sighed Nell, slumping forward in her chair to rest her head on her desk.

"Told you he'd get her," Eric said. He hugged her tightly, feeling her shaking from the stress and adrenaline. "It's okay, Nell. They got her."

* * *

**Luved this episode. But I always wondered what Eric and Nell were doing while the camera was on Kensi and Deeks. So now we know!**

**Review please!**


	33. Swimsuit

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS:LA._**

**Prompt #32: Swimsuit - He almost fell off his surfboard when he saw his partner - geeky, tiny, tough Nell - wearing a white string bikini on the beach.**

**Words: 863**

* * *

The beach was sufficiently packed with people when Eric pulled up with his surfboard and a mind to catch some waves. Shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun, he scanned the shoreline as Sam's Challenger pulled into the spot next to his car. "Good day for surfing," he declared as the agents stepped out.

"Excellent," Deeks said, pulling his surfboard off the top of the Challenger. "Whaddya say we hit the waves, Eric?"

Callen looked around. "Didn't Kensi say she and Nell would meet us here?"

"You know women, G. They need two hours to do what guys can do in twenty minutes," Sam said.

After a rough couple of weeks, including two uncomfortably severe trips to the hospital ER and a hostage situation, the NCIS team decided that a beach day was in order. Eric and Nell had been invited along, as they were similarly overworked and stressed out. They had extended an invite to Hetty, who respectfully declined on the excuse of needing to have her Jaguar inspected. More than one of them had winced, recalling just how mad she'd been to come back and see the damage inflicted by the hitmen who'd cornered Callen and Sam in her garage.

Once they hit the beach, they split up. Callen and Sam went to find a spot to put the umbrella and cooler, while Deeks and Eric headed for the water. A couple girls in bikinis gave them an appreciative eye as they went by.

"Lookit there, you were getting checked out back there," Deeks teased as they paddled out.

Eric had an awkward but pleased smile on his face. "Shut up, man. They were looking at you."

It was a perfect day for surfing. The swells were high, cresting white and creating near-perfect tubes to ride through. Deeks and Eric began engaging in some friendly competition, trying to out-surf each other.

After about an hour, Eric was winning. At a break, he glanced at the beach to make sure they weren't drifting too far down the shore. "Hey, looks like Kensi and Nell are here," he called over to Deeks.

Deeks sat up on his board and held a hand above his eyes to see. "Looks like."

"Must've gotten in - What the?" Eric leaned forward on his board. A bad idea, almost making him fall off. But he couldn't help it. He had to be mistaken.

He knew Kensi looked good in a swimsuit, but what that redhead in the white bikini really Nell?

"Wow," said Deeks. He finally noticed the redheaded tech as well. "Nell looks really good in that swimsuit."

_Okay, so I'm not crazy, _Eric thought. _That is my partner, lying on a towel on the beach in a barely modest - oh God, what am I thinking? _He shook his head and coughed, embarrassment coloring his face bright red.

When they paddled back to shore, Deeks immediately went to Kensi and complimented her bathing suit. Eric walked up to the cooler and quickly pulled out a beer, averting his eyes from where his partner was lying on the sand.

"Hey Eric," Nell called over. "Grab me a soda?"

"Sure," he said in a strangled voice, trying to cover it with a cough. _Don't panic, don't freak, it's just Nell. Yeah, your partner, who looks really hot in that - stop it, stop it now! _he scolded his brain before the images could start up.

"You don't sound so good." And before he could fully prepare himself, Nell popped into view in all her swimsuit-clad glory. Eric almost dropped the soda. What he'd seen from the ocean...wasn't nearly as revealing as an up-close view.

She took the soda from him and popped the lid. "You okay? You're looking a bit flushed," she said, taking a sip of soda.

"Surfing...tired y-you out," he stammered. "Y-You guys showed up late."

Nell shrugged. "Apparently it's a bad idea to let Kensi drive before she had coffee. We had to stop at Starbucks on the way - Eric?"

He was trying to keep his eyes on her face, he really was. But a thousand years of male evolution hardwired into his DNA made his eyes drift slightly...lower. When she said his name, his eyes snapped back up to her face with the guiltly look of a man caught looking. "Yeah?"

But instead of being angry (which he fully expected) she was grinning. "Wanna go for a walk? It's nice out here, and we can get ice cream."

Walk down the beach with his hot partner next to him in a white string bikini? Did he really have to think about it?

"Sure. But maybe you should bring a cover-up. Sun, you know."

Just because she looked stunning didn't mean he wanted other guys to see it.

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**Yet another cutesy drabble. Beware the fluffy - it's spreading.**

**Review please!**


	34. Teacher

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #33: Teacher - She'd learned a lot from him on the job, but when Eric offered to teach her sign language, she felt very honored that he'd want to teach her something not related to computers.**

**Words: 747**

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Nell sat in the boathouse, watching the interrogation room camera while she ran background checks on their witness. Everything seemed to be turning up clean, but Nell had learned very early to dig deep and dig well. So she went through everything and anything.

This was how Callen, Kensi, and Deeks found her ten minutes later. "What are you doing here?" asked Callen curiously.

"Looking for Bacon," she replied, trusting him to recall what it was.

"No, I mean here, in the boathouse. Can't you do that in Ops?"

Nell shook her head. "It's easier to do it here."

"How so?" asked Deeks.

But Kensi noticed how the redhead was glancing at the plasma screen. "You're watching Eric sign?" Everyone looked now, watching Sam ask a question and have Eric translate it to American Sign Language for the woman. Emily Fitch, deaf since birth, and a potential witness in the shooting of a Navy Lieutenant.

"I never get tired of watching him do that," Callen admitted as the blond Tech Operator's hands moved with Sam's words. When Emily signed back, Eric was able to translate the gestures for Sam and, via camera, the rest of the team.

Kensi nodded. "So cool. And how does he remember it all?"

"Didn't he say that his best friend growing up was deaf?" Deeks asked, crossing his arms and watching as well. "Practice makes perfect."

Nell tried to be nonchalant, but the little tidbit of information about her partner's past was hard to not react to. She didn't know much about his personal life, and it wasn't until this case that she'd even learned that he knew how to sign. For some reason, she felt left out.

The interview wrapped up, and Sam and Eric came out of the room. Emily tugged on Eric's shirt hem and hastily signed something to him. He smiled and signed back. They had a brief silent conversation, which was watched with quite a lot of interest by the rest of the team. Then Emily touched her chin and gestured to Eric, smiled at the team and repeated the sign, and left.

"What was that about?" asked Callen.

Eric shrugged. "She just wanted to know how I knew ASL, and I told her I grew up with a friend who was deaf. She complimented my speed and recall, and I thanked her for helping out. She said thanks to me and you guys, and left."

"Thanks for what?" Sam asked. "We're just doing our job."

Kensi shook her head. "I think she was saying thanks to Eric for helping her tell us what happened. Just think, we might've had to wait for an interpreter if he wasn't so handy."

"Now both geeks have proved useful outside of Ops," joked Deeks. "Next thing you know they'll be out in the field, getting frelted."

Everyone groaned at the bad joke. The agents headed out to check out another lead, leaving Eric and Nell in the boat shed. The redhead leaned back and said casually, "So, ASL, huh?"

"Yeah," Eric answered. "It has its uses. Helped me find someone, once."

"Cool."

There was a little bit of silence before Eric said, "Do you want me to teach you some?"

Green eyes glanced over at him, lighting up with interest. "Yeah! I mean, sure," she said, trying to cover her excitement.

"Okay then." Grabbing a chair, Eric positioned himself so that he and Nell faced each other. "All right, let's try 'thank you' first. That's the last sign Emily made before she left. Remember it?"

She nodded, and she mimicked it to the best of her recall. "Like that?"

"Yeah, that's it."

They spent an hour like that. Nell couldn't really hide the smile on her face as she learned how to fingerspell her own name, Eric's, and the rest of the team's names. It was only when Hetty called and demanded their presence back in Ops that they stopped.

On the way back, Nell asked, "Could you teach me more sometime?"

"I guess so," Eric replied, grinning at her. "You're a quick study."

She nodded, then signed, _Thank you_.

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**It'd be nice if we could see more of Eric's signing ability in the show. It only showed up the one time, boo.**

**Review please! They're very rewarding to read!**


	35. Gift

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #34: Gift - He felt his apprehension disappear when her expressive face broke into a smile as she looked up from the contents of the box.**

**Words: 496**

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This has got to be the worst idea in the history of ideas.

But it's my own damn fault for waiting so damn long to go gift-shopping.

Last Christmas I didn't know her so well.

This Christmas will be different.

I've learned...a little more about Nell this year. Not a lot, but more than before.

This means that I should get her a present. Hetty only gave her a gift because she finally had enough re-gifts for everybody on the team. Crafty woman.

But I'm getting Nell something special. Something that shows how much she's appreciated.

I check the little box again, making sure it was still there. Dumb thought - where else would it be?

I'm freaking out for no reason.

No, actually I have good reason. This will be the first time I give my partner a gift. And I want her to like it.

It's simple, but nice - a silver charm bracelet. The charms on it are a rose (for her red hair) a computer (because she's a geek like me) and a star. I wrapped it in tissue paper and put it in a small box that I found around my house. Probably from another present from another holiday. I even found a red ribbon to tie it up and make it look nice.

Now I just have to give it to her.

It's in my bag, sitting under my desk. Where it's been since I got in this morning. It's now three in the afternoon. We've been working on this case for the last couple hours, and we skipped lunch. Which is why I'm still procrastinating.

Nell taps my shoulder. "What's that?"

_Oh, crap. She saw it_. I stare at her with the wide eyes of a deer in the headlights. "Um, it's a, uh, um - "

I'm tripping over my words like a nervous teenager. Why does she do this to me?

"What is it?" she asks with a curious smile.

Rather than continue acting like an idiot, I grab the box and hold it out to her. "Merry Christmas," I mumble.

She takes the little box and examines it. "For me?"

"Yeah." My cheeks are burning, which means I'm redder than a tomato with sunburn. I wait as she reverently unties the ribbon, sets it aside, and opens the lid. Then she looks up again, and I know I did the right thing.

Her smile is blinding, like a child's. "Eric, it's...it's beautiful. Thank you."

I release my breath and smile with relief. _And to think_, I scolded myself, _you were so worried earlier_.

I really need to stop second-guessing this kind of thing.

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**Sweet, right? Reviews are love in readable form!**


	36. Conversation

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #35: Conversation - Before she came to OSP, he'd only had technology to keep him company. But now, he can talk to someone other than Hetty.**

**Words: 302**

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It used to be that Eric Beale was alone for the majority of a case. Sitting up in Ops, he'd toil away on his lonesome keyboard in his lonesome corner.

Not that he felt alone. Nah, he just didn't work well with others. He'd tried.

So Hetty, rather than force him to work with an irritating person who'd only harp on him for his lack of dress code conformity and his obsession with Facebook and Twitter, let him commandeer the mighty techie fortress that was Ops.

And it was a good thing. Eric liked being alone in there. With all those screens and server space, he could literally run an op while updating his Facebook and even squeeze in a little Tweet here and there. When Hetty wasn't there, of course.

That all changed when Nell came on board.

Suddenly, he had another person in the room to think about. A partner who took up the empty console next to his and had her own agenda. After being alone for so long, it took Eric some time to re-acclimate.

Not that she made it easy.

But after the initial rocky start, Eric began to talk to her more. Conversation had been a big miss of his days; with the team always out in the field, he was usually left to his own devices. Computers don't need to hear about your day.

But a partner finds it interesting. A partner can ask about it, question you, even laugh at something. Computers can't.

Eric Beale had liked being alone in his tech fortress before.

But when Nell Jones burst onto the scene, he found himself liking what he had now much better.

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**Just a little drabble about Eric. Nice, right?**

**Review please! They show how you care!**


	37. Unwind

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #36: Unwind - Sometimes, after a long day of solving crime, the best way to relax is just to hijack the giant screen, hook up the Wii, and play Mario Kart with your partner.**

**Words: 539**

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"Today sucked," sighed Eric, putting his keypad down and slumping in his chair.

Nel groaned in response, her head buried in the nest of her arms on her desk. "Yeah. Sucked." Her head shifted, letting one green eye peek from behind red bangs. "Totally and completely."

While they'd dealt with rough cases before, very few were so completely draining as today's hullabaloo. The techs breathed another heavy sigh, too exhausted to move and go home.

Then Eric sat up. "Hey, Nell."

"What?" she grumbled. Looking up, she spotted her partner's grin. "What, Eric?"

"I think I have just the thing to cheer us all up." He reached under his desk and pulled out -

Nell's grin was enormous. "Eric, you're a genius!"

He grinned modestly. "Go get the team. Something tells me they'll like this idea as much as you do."

* * *

"OOOOH!"

Hetty blinked in surprise upon hearing a group shout from Ops. Curious, she started walking up the stairs to see what the commotion was about.

"Dude, you just got inked!" Deeks shouted.

Callen groaned. "What gives, Sam? I thought we were on the same team!"

"Less yaking, more driving!" was Sam's only response.

The small woman entered Ops without a sound. She saw her team sitting in front of the giant plasma holding small white steering wheels like their lives depended on it, leaning forward and shouting at the split screen. On the screen were four squares that showed a different brightly colored vehicle and a strange-looking cartoon driver in each. She frowned, unable to understand what they were playing.

Kensi shouted a curse as the girl riding a yellow motorcycle was knocked off the road by a car bearing what looked like a giant turtle dinosaur. "Sam, dammit! I'm gonna shell you the instant I get an item!"

"You can try, Kensi!" Sam crowed, pressing a button on his controller. The dinosaur rocketed forward, then skidded on a banana peel. "What the - Deeks!"

Deeks laughed as a green lizard-dinosaur on a dirt bike shot past him. "Sucker!"

Then suddenly, the three screens were covered in what looked like black ink blots. Sam, Kensi, and Deeks all shouted "Callen!" as he swiftly maneuvered his massively disporportioned red racer over them, squashing them flat as he headed for the finish line. When he crossed, he threw his hands up and whooped.

"Our turn, our turn!" Eric proclaimed, grabbing the controllers from Kensi and Deeks and handing one to Nell. Quickly resetting, the race was off again.

Hetty had no idea what on earth they were playing. But it reassured her that they were smiling, and laughing, and being friends after such a trying case. She even forgave them for hijacking Ops and turning it into a video arcade for the night.

So she quietly walked out and headed home, knowing that tomorrow would be another day for them. But for tonight, at least they could pretend that the world was all right.

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**This was pure fun to write. Mostly team-centric, but oh well. Please review!**


	38. Play

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #37: Play - While they never actually needed aliases in their line of work, they still played the lying game sometimes. Most of the time, though, it was with their feelings.**

**Words: 270**

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They aren't agents. They don't need to weave a web of lies in order to make people believe them on a daily basis.

But they do.

It's not obvious. Like the agents, they are skilled in making it look subtle and, at times, make it seem like it never exists. They don't have to - after all, who would question them?

But they do.

A look, a phrase, a brush, a smile. Small things, but they do them carefully. They try to make it seem unimportant, even though it's not necessary.

But they do it anyway.

Why? Why do they have to hide it? A question for the ages. It's not like it's that big a secret. After all, they work with people whose entire lives depend on finding out what other people are trying to hide.

But they still hide it.

Nobody's quite sure why. There are ideas, of course. Theories, each just as plausible as the last. He doesn't feel the same, or she doesn't feel the same. Work ethics. Boundries that they don't want to cross. A friendship they don't want to risk.

All are plausible.

But nobody knows for sure.

Nevertheless, it's not a big deal. They seem perfectly content with their partnership as is.

But when Eric Beale and Nell Jones decide to come clean with their feelings, it will be a good day.

They're not agents. They shouldn't have to lie to themselves about their feelings.

* * *

**Wow, 247 reviews! In thanks, another update in one day! ****Just a little drabble that popped out of nowhere. **

******Like it? Review? Please?**


	39. Realization

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #38: Realization - Somewhere along the line, they'd found that their friendship had become something more.**

**Words: 426**

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If you asked Marty Deeks, he'd tell you that Eric and Nell were more than just the techie pair. They were more than just partners, too.

They were friends. Best friends, in fact.

They had similar interests, and it helped that they didn't have to make up stories about their workplace. That was a lot of stress they were happy to delete from the equation. They worked well together, and they had the sort of friendship that you'd expect from very old friends, not two people thrown together within the last year.

In fact, Deeks sometimes thought they had crossed the friendship line.

But he was never completely certain. They always acted like best buddies, but some situations could be construed to become romantic. Like sitting close to each other in the bar booth, or sharing a menu, or carpooling to work.

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him. He managed to get them alone and asked each, flat out, what the deal was between them.

He got to Eric first. Deeks tried to be direct. But for some reason, Eric wasn't entirely sure what he meant by "What's your deal with your partner?" How many other possibilities are there?

Next he tried Nell. She acted very surprised that he'd considered such a thing.

Neither, Deeks noted, outright denied that something deeper was going on between them. And he found that very interesting.

So he consulted Kensi. She agreed that she thought the techs were more than just friends, but she had no concrete proof, just hunches like his.

Friendship defined them for months. He wanted to know if there was anything else in the mix.

* * *

"What was Deeks's deal today?" Nell asked later, leaning back in her chair. "Asking about us."

"Really weird," Eric replied. He idly tapped a few keys and locked up his workstation for the day. "He's never taken an interest in our relationship."

Her eyebrow lifted as a flirty smile touched her mouth. "Relationship?"

He blushed with his own shy grin. "Sorry. Should I keep saying partnership?"

"I dunno. I like 'relationship' myself." With a little giggle Nell leaned over and kissed his cheek. "But maybe we should keep this on the down-low. It's fun."

Eric snickered. "You like keeping them guessing, don't you?"

Her only response was to giggle again.

* * *

**They would most definitely do this, I think.**

**Review please!**


	40. Worry

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #39: Worry - It's when she doesn't finish his sentences, doesn't defend a point on something she's passionate about, or walks into the OSP without a spring in her step, that Eric feels that he has to cheer his partner up.**

**Words: 624**

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Rare is the day that Nell Jones walks into the Mission without a smile on her face or a skip in her step. It's almost like it's part of her daily routine - get dressed, beam a smile, have breakfast, go to work. So when she walked into Ops one muggy August morning looking like a wilted flower, Eric looked over at her in concern.

"Hey rockstar, what's happening?" he asked, pausing on his work.

"Lousy date," she sighed, dropping down in her chair and burying her face in her arms with a groan. "Jerkwad kept prattling on and on about his stupid golf game, how he didn't need a handicap and still scored below an eighty on the course. Most boring night of my life."

He frowned. "Weird night, but I don't see why that's making you look like you got the flu."

"Because I got the flu from him, that idiot," she groaned. "He moved in for a kiss, and he put one right on me. I woke up this morning with the sniffles and a major headache."

"Ouch," Eric said with a sympathetic wince. "Sorry." She nodded weakly. "So, why didn't you stay home?"

She coughed, a weak sound that was scratchy and hoarse. "Hetty needed all hands on deck." Gathering all her remaining strength, she started working.

She made it for a couple hours without more than a few sniffles. But when she started shivering and dozing off, Eric knew he had to do something. He hated seeing her push herself like that. Raising an eyebrow, he quickly opened a new window and ran a search. "Hey, Nell. Check this out."

She looked over - and promptly snorted in laughter. "Eric, the hell is that?"

"I found it a couple days ago. Funny, right?" He grinned at her, then clicked on another link. "How about this one?"

This continued for a good ten minutes. By the time he finished, Eric was pleased to see that her usual smile was back on his partner's face. She looked a lot better, too.

"How about you leave work early today, Nell?" he said. "I'm sure Hetty will let you go when she sees how sick you're getting."

Her smile turned a little guilty. "I don't want to leave you here by yourself," she said.

Eric scoffed. "Nell, I ran this place single-handedly before you came along. I think I can readjust for a couple days. Your health is more important." He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Now come on. Go talk to Hetty."

The redhead got up and weaved for the door. Eric watched her go, then returned to work.

Imagine his surprise when Nell reappeared in Ops, holding her purse and coat with a tissue over her nose. Imagine his shock when she said hoarsely, "Hetty says if I need to go home, you need to drive me. She doesn't think I'll make it."

He grinned. "Okay, Nell. I'll take you home." Grabbing his keys, he offered her his arm for support, which she took with a smile of gratitude.

He knew Hetty would send her home. She had to. Nell was in no condition to work today. Especially not after getting sucker-punched by that idiot date of hers last night. What moron kisses a girl when he's got a contagious disease? No wonder she was so down today; that kind of end would depress anybody.

So now it was his job to cheer her up. A job he liked very much.

* * *

**I have no idea where this came from, but I like it. Kinda.**

**Review, please!**


	41. Ploy

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #40: Ploy - She's not above using him as a way to avoid getting picked up by random guys, and frankly, he's glad she has enough taste to shoot them down.**

**Words: 642**

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"Eric!"

The sound of Nell's voice made him sit up in his booth, looking around the bar. Spying her red hair, he flagged her down. "Nell, what's up?"

"Play along for about ten minutes, I'll explain later," she said quickly, sliding next to him. Her hand tucked around his arm, resting in the crook of his elbow as she leaned against him with an easy smile. "So, what're you getting?" she asked, waving down a waitress from across the room.

"Confused?" he hedged. He had no problems with her leaning against him with her arm around his, but he needed some backstory if he wanted to go along with her little charade. He couldn't just fly blind. "What's up?"

Her head dipped closer to his. "Some jerks keep trying to hit on me," she said, her sweet smile contrasting heavily with the tired voice slipping through her teeth. "Help me dissuade them?"

Eric considered his options. On the one hand, he could say no. It was technically a vacation day, and he had precious few of those nowadays. Nell might've been exaggerating about how bad these guys had it for her.

On the other hand, Nell was his partner. She needed his help. And from the look of the guys who'd just walked into the bar with their sights set on her, she really needed him to sell this cover. He sized up the competition; classic muscle-bound morons that looked tan enough to be surfers, bleached blonde hair on one and dark brown on the other. In other words, all bark and no bite types.

_And back undercover I go,_ he thought. But this time, he actually looked forward to it.

The two guys had been heading over, but pulled up short when Eric leaned over and kissed Nell on the cheek. "How you doing, baby?" he said, speaking over the chatter of the bar.

Her thankful smile was radiant. "Much better now that I'm with you, hun." She hugged him tighter and picked up the menu. "So, what should we get?"

* * *

"They still behind us?" he asked as they walked down the street hand-in-hand.

Nell tossed her hair back, which masked her checking over her shoulder. "Yup," she said. "Still there. Vultures."

"I'll give them this much, they're persistant," Eric admitted. He glanced down at his partner. "And you're just way too cute for your own good."

She giggled at that, gripping his arm tighter. "That's kinda sweet."

"It's true," he replied, earning another giggle.

After an hour of playacting, Eric was actually getting comfortable with the role he'd been asked to fill. His usual nervousness around pretty girls had almost disappeared. Was it because the girl he was with was Nell? Quite possible. He always felt calmer around Nell. Maybe because they were already friends.

Would it be so bad, he wondered, if this turned into something real?

"They're gone."

He blinked when she pulled up short. "What?" he asked.

"The guys. They're gone," Nell repeated, smirking like a cat. "Whew, that was awesome. You're the best, Eric." Stretching up on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I gotta get home so I can catch some sleep. See you tomorrow!"

The blonde man blinked again, trying to process what just happened as his partner skipped off. He raised his hand to his cheek and touched where her lips had brushed. Then, slow as syrup, a goofy grin appeared on his face.

If anything did happen between him and Nell, he was sure he'd be wearing that grin a lot.

* * *

**Now we've reached chapter 40! At 268 reviews, the love is felt.**

**Keep the reviews coming, please!**


	42. Surfing

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #41: Surfing - He looked very cool riding his surfboard in the crystal clear waters off California's coast, thought Nell as she and Kensi soaked up some rays.**

**Words: 600**

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"C'mon Kensi, let's go!" Nell said, getting out of the Cadillac. Her sandals hit the pavement with a soft slap. "Wow! It's so bright out here!"

"I see the guys," Kensi said, shielding her eyes from the glare. "Looks like Deeks and Eric are already on the water. And goofing off."

Nell watched the two men compete in the waves. She was captivated by how easily they seem to glide over the surface of the water, and how they'd fly through the tube as fast as birds. She couldn't stop staring, not even when she and Kensi gathered up their things and walked down the beach to where Callen and Sam had set up their little corner of vacation.

"How long have they been out there?" Kensi asked, taking off her cover-up and spreading her towel on the sand.

Sam shrugged. "Maybe an hour. Where were you two?"

"Kensi needed coffee," Nell said, pulling off her sundress to bare her skin to the sun. _No way am I really telling them why we're late. _She and Kensi quickly applied a fresh layer of sunblock, then laid out to soak up some rays.

Unfortunately, she only got to watch her partner surf for a few more minutes before he and Deeks paddled for shore. Deeks came over and talked to Kensi, but Eric headed straight for the cooler. She was so comfortable that she called out, "Hey Eric. Grab me a soda?"

"Sure."

The odd way he replied made her sit up, curious as to why he sounded so strange. When she took a closer look, she saw that his face (what she could see of it) and the back of his neck was turning red. _Sunburn? Maybe, he's so pale... _"You don't sound so good," she said, getting up and walking over to him. The hot sand smushed and oozed between her bare toes, making her do a little hop-step over to his side. "You okay? You're looking a bit flushed," she said, taking her soda from him, popping the lid, and taking a sip.

He looked _very _awkward. And uncomfortable. "Surfing...tired y-you out." In an effort to change the subject he said, "Y-You guys showed up late."

"Apparently it's a bad idea to let Kensi drive before she had coffee. We had to stop at Starbucks on the way - " Nell paused, eyes widening as she saw her partner - her polite, awkward, but gentleman partner - drop his gaze very, very slowly to her bikini top. "Eric?"

His head snapped up like a dog on the scent of a fox, guilt all over his face. "Yeah?" he said, blushing even harder.

Realization slowly dawned on Nell. Kensi's words came back to her. _"Nell, trust me and just wear this. It'll be a knockout hit, trust me, the guys won't even know what hit them. Eric is gonna flip."_

Smiling at him, she said, "Wanna go for a walk? It's nice out here, and we can get ice cream."

Eric never even thought twice. "Sure. But maybe you should bring a cover-up. Sun, you know." As he said that, his eyes flicked towards the men that stood between them and the ice cream stand.

_"Oh, and if he shows some jealousy, that's a plus!"_

Nell giggled as she grabbed her dress. "Ok, let's go!"

* * *

**Just a little drabble about Nell's side of "Swimsuit." Review please, we're coming up to the end!**

**9...**


	43. Presence

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #42: Presence - They don't even have to look up anymore to know who it is - when one enters the room, the other immediately starts talking about the latest development.**

**Words: 700**

* * *

Eric had his head under the console, trying to repair a blown fuse without bringing down Ops, when the team walked in for a debrief. They saw him down there alone and attempted to help.

"Nobody move!" he ordered without looking. Then as an afterthought, "Don't touch anything!" he added.

Deeks quickly withdrew his hand from the touchscreen. "Where's - "

"About time, Nell!"

The team looked over as the doors to Ops slid open. Their eyes widened when Nell walked into the room, carrying a roll of electrical wire, electrician's tape, and wire cutters. "Quit bitching," she sighed, handing him the cutters.

Everybody else was still back on how Eric could have possibly known Nell was entering Ops when she did.

* * *

It happened again while Nell was in the bullpen. Her back was to everybody as she typed furiously, bringing up documentation on their latest case. There was no way for her to see anything else but the plasma screen.

And yet, as Eric walked right behind her, she held up a hand and snagged the coffee he'd held out for her without breaking eye contact or pausing her intel. Callen looked at Eric questioningly, but the blonde Tech Operator kept on walking with his own coffee. Neither analyst seemed to notice or care about what had just happened.

It was something impressive. Callen had seen perfect brush passes that couldn't compare with what he'd just witnessed.

If they ever went out into the field as agents, they would be something else entirely.

* * *

"How do they do that?" Deeks asked one morning.

Sam looked over at him. "Do what?"

"That thing that they do. You know, sensing the other one without even looking or hearing each other." The detective wiggled his fingers and made the creepy "ooooh!" sound.

Callen shrugged. "They're really attuned to one another. Working with someone day in and out will do that to people."

Kensi shook her head. "No, I gotta agree with Deeks on this one."

"I mean, it's almost like they're Jedi," Deeks continued, bolstered by Kensi backing him up. "They don't even have to look, just - " He waved his hand and whistled. "Jedi mind trick."

Sam scoffed. "Eric and Nell understand each other," he said. "Nothing Jedi about it, Deeks. Stop being such a geek."

* * *

But then something occured that even made Sam believe in the techies' surprising abilities.

Eric had launched into a situation report of their latest case. His eyes were glued to the giant plasma as he brought up pictures and documents, enlarging and dragging them across the screen with his fingertips.

" - and then they went belly-up in 2004. Carter then did some day trading to help pay the bills, which was all right until he blew everything on a bad bid involving airplanes. Then the recession hit, and remember I like my coffee without cream! That's when Carter started depositing crazy amounts - "

The team blinked in surprise at the random outburst, looking around to see what had made him say it. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. But Hetty looked uncharacteristically amused.

Ten minutes later, they got their answer. The doors to Ops slid open, revealing Nell holding two coffee cups.

" - the house is wired with the latest security system, updated every month with new parameters, about time you got back, was the line across the street?" Eric said in the same tone as the rest of his sit rep, not looking away from the screen.

"Stop whining," she said, holding out the coffee. He took it without looking back at her. "Get on with your sit rep. I'm going to bring up the specs for the party."

He took a sip, then a breath, and kept going.

Deeks wiggled his fingers as he waved his hand. "Jedi," he mouthed to his partner and teammates.

* * *

**I have absolutely no idea where this came from. Weird, but funny! Review please!**

**8...**


	44. Jargon

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #43: Jargon - Callen and Sam stare at the hacker blankly, Kensi and Deeks share a look of confusion, but for Eric and Nell, they're listening to a master describe his masterpiece.**

**Words: 476**

* * *

It's not often that the team works with hackers. They'd lie and _say _they're hackers at times, but that's always with tech help over the earbud. Working with actual hackers is another story.

Working with somebody as renowned in the cyberworld as Andrew Petrotsky was like working with a god. At least, Eric and Nell thought so.

Brilliant as he was nondescript, he was outlining the possible feats his newest hack was capable of performing if launched by the wrong people. He was trying to dumb it down for those in the room who couldn't keep up with the technical terms, but not having much success. Too many interruptions from the others prevented much of his words to register.

Finally, Eric and Nell told everyone else to shut up (in more polite language) and listen. It was clear that they were having the time of their lives; in their world, Andrew was the techie equivalent of a rock god. They sucked in every word like sponges, obviously trying to retain as much as possible for future situations where this information may be applicable.

Hetty, who understood not a word of what Petrotsky said but completely understood the power of what he created, simply watched her Tech Operator and Intelligence Analyst, in essence, drool like fangirls. She knew that this marked a landmark day for the both of them. Somebody who knew and fully appreciated their work and what they did.

And, she noticed with a smile, fully appreciated Nell.

Andrew was a successful hacker, and he knew straight off that Kensi was out of his league (not that Deeks's glare hadn't helped to deter him either). But he wasn't blind, and he certainly wasn't keeping his strike zone narrow. That left Nell, who was pretty for a nerd and just his type. Hetty was absolutely sure that once this case concluded, her redheaded tech would undoutedly get propositioned by Andrew. And knowing Nell, she wasn't unaware of it.

Neither was Eric - he noticed how the other man was stealing glances at Nell like a kid who's been denied candy and wants a taste. But Eric, being trained in the subtle art of poker face, never let on that he could see Andrew checking his partner out. He did, however, stick very close to her side in a clear male show of "Mine, not yours. Back off."

Just because they were working with a hacker dubbed "Merlin" by certain government agencies didn't mean that they would let him get away with anything.

Hetty chuckled to herself. Doubtless Nell would politely turn Petrotsky down. She'd trained her people well.

If you truly trust your partner, you make sure nothing comes between that trust.

* * *

**Just a little drabble that popped out in the middle of the night. Review!**

**7...**


	45. Bend

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #44: Bend - _It's not professional, it's not professional, _his brain screams, but his eyes can't tear themselves away from her rear as she leans over to pick up her pencil.**

**Words: 1,437**

* * *

Ever since his partner first walked through the door of NCIS OSP, Eric Beale's life got infinitely more complicated.

Working with a woman introduced a whole new set of rules. Working with a woman as intelligent and cute as Nell Jones meant he had to watch himself.

His eyes always wanted to follow her. His hands always wanted to brush against hers. He sometimes had the uncontrollable urge to kiss her senseless.

But he couldn't do it. He knew he couldn't.

She was his best friend.

But despite knowing all that, sometimes Eric couldn't help himself. Sometimes he messed up.

And sometimes, he got caught.

* * *

Eric knew he was in trouble the instant she walked in that morning.

For one thing, she was in a skirt. A short skirt. Not hooker short, but definitely not office-length. For another, she had on heels. Short heels, maybe two inches, but they boosted her normal height enough and made her legs look amazing.

She mentioned something about having a date right after work and not having enough time to run home and change before it, but Eric was too busy trying not to stare at her to really soak it in.

From there on out, he had to call on every method of self-control he'd ever learned on this job. He stared at his computer screen like he was having a staring contest with it. He focused on her face when he talked to her. When she turned to walk away from him, he purposely turned around so he didn't watch her go.

But, of course, he didn't take into account that Fate had a cosmic plan for him. Or that she had a twisted and sadistic sense of humor.

How he didn't realize it was anyone's guess. But anyway...

Eric had been working in the gadget room when he heard Nell cursing like a sailor in the bullpen. Curious and worried about her, he hopped off his stool and walked out. "Nell you oka - "

The last word got tangled up in his vocal cords as his throat closed faster than a mousetrap. His eyes widened in shock as they tried to process what they were seeing as the same time his brain was screaming _Look away, look away!_

"Eric?" his partner asked, her head under a desk as she tried to get something. "Do you see any papers over there?" Her hand waved in a general over-there direction, but Eric was beyond acknowledging her.

His eyes were still glued to her butt.

That damn skirt was riding up, giving him a damn tempting view of her legs and a hint of what lay under the black material. He swallowed hard, knowing he had to look away before she realized what he was doing, but his body wasn't taking orders from his brain anymore. In fact, his brain had shorted out some seconds before.

Damn human evolution.

"Eric?"

_Shit! _His brain checked back in just in time to see a pair of cute green eyes glaring at him. He flinched and bit his lip. "Yeah, Nell?"

One eyebrow rose slowly. "Were you just checking out my ass?"

He had a very slim chance of getting away with a lie. So he opted for the smart choice. "A little. I mean, yeah."

"And why, pray tell, were you checking out my ass?"

"Because your skirt was too short and I'm a guy and it's a simple reason, why are you asking the obvious?" he said in one sentence. "It's a biological reflex, I couldn't help it. And I'm not the only one, I hope you know. All the straight guys here have been checking out your ass all day Nell, you just managed to catch me."

Her glare disappeared, replaced with wide-eyed surprise. "Really?" she asked, truly astonished.

Eric stared at her, equally astonished at how clueless she was. "Uh, yeah Nell, really."

She looked down at herself, patting her skirt and blouse. "Nobody said anything about it."

"They were too busy admiring the view," growled the Tech Operator in a low voice, glaring at another agent passing by whose glance had dropped to check out Nell's legs as he passed by.

Nell looked up at her partner. "Why didn't _you_ say anything about it?" she demanded, somewhat accusingly.

"What you wear to a date is none of my business." _Especially if it's with another guy_, he thought to himself.

She looked a little hurt by his words. "I like hearing your opinion, Eric."

Faintly he realized he was being short with her, but Eric was past caring. "Fine, you want my opinion?" he said, suddenly tired. "You're gorgeous, Nell. Stunning. You always have been. Whoever you're meeting tonight, he's a lucky guy." And before she could respond, he turned and walked up to the Ops Center.

* * *

Nell watched her partner leave, still shocked that he'd lost his temper and admitted that he thought she was gorgeous. Confusion made her look down at her skirt again. It was a normal skirt, black and slightly ripply at the hem, letting it swish around as she walked. Her heels weren't anything special either, just dressy low heels she wore out casually.

Callen walked into the bullpen, spotted her, and gave a low whistle. "Wow Nell, what's the occasion?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, perplexed.

He looked pointedly at her skirt and heels. "You don't break out the classy clothes unless you're going on a date. That, and some of the guys have been whispering about how sexy you look."

Nell blushed. "R-R-Really?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "But I bet Eric told you that already, right?"

"Um, no."

"Really?" Callen echoed her earlier disbelief without the stammer. "Weird. I mean, I know he noticed you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean, noticed me?" she asked.

The NCIS agent raised his own eyebrow at her. "Not my place to say outright. But c'mon Nell, haven't you noticed how he looks at you?" Again he looked at her outfit. "He hasn't stopped trying not to look at you all day."

"Not look at me?"

"Nell, you're his partner and his best friend. If I really have to explain this to you, you're a lousy Intelligence Analyst. Howsabout you analyze what intelligence you know?" With that remark (which stung like a gentle insult) Callen sauntered off to nap who knows where.

She frowned as she mulled over his words. She had noticed that Eric took special care not to look at her a lot today, and when he had to, he'd been staring very intently at her face. And when she turned away...

_Oh my god, _she thought as realization wound up and slapped her across the face.

* * *

Eric had to be extremely careful as he worked with his partner. He didn't want to ruin their partnership, not to mention their friendship, over something like his crush on her.

But when Nell walked into Ops, yanked him out of his chair and to his feet, and kissed him, he figured he didn't have to worry about that anymore.

"If you have something to say about my choice in clothes," she mumbled when they broke apart, red-faced and short of breath, "then say it to my face."

The words tumbled out. "You look amazing, Nell."

Her little smile showed up again. "Thank, Eric."

"Not to be a dick, but what was the lip-lock for?" he asked, still looking a little flustered.

"For always being truthful to me," Nell said. Her hands slid up to his shoulders and clasped behind his neck. "And professional."

Eric winced at that. "It wasn't easy. You didn't make it easy."

"Aww," she crooned. "Want me to kiss and make better?"

He pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers, and she had her answer.

* * *

**I seriously didn't expect this. Maybe I was fluff-deprived.**

**Review please!**

**6...**


	46. Ocean

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #45: Ocean - They realize, while their quirky partner looks nonthreatening and almost always has a smile, there are hidden depths to their personalities as well.**

**Words: 834**

* * *

_Everyone has a past. Some dark, some unknown, and some secret. _

_But it never changes. And it is never forgotten._

* * *

It came to Nell one day as she was sorting through intel that needed to be cataloged and filed.

She knew almost nothing about Eric's past.

_Strange_, she thought. His partner for a year, yet she knew very little about his life before joining OSP.

She knew he was German-American, and that his best friend growing up was deaf. Other than that, everything else was vague.

Odd, since she knew a little about everyone else on the team.

Then again, they didn't share much without a reason.

But it made her curious.

* * *

They know some of Callen's past. Foster homes all his life, never in one more than a few months, sometimes only a few days. That explains his loner tendencies and his very slow process of trusting people. He doesn't sleep, just catnaps, and until Hetty bought the foster home he loved the most, he had no place to call his own. This turned him into a wild card, a rogue, a lone alpha wolf who only rarely followed the pack's laws, even the ones he made up.

They also know some of Sam's past. Not as much as they'd like, but then again, being a SEAL rarely ensured a past you'd care to know about. They knew he had a family, with two daughters that he adored. They also knew he'd been buried alive with a buddy who hadn't made it out. This turned him into the level mind, the stable pillar, the one everyone turns to when a crisis occurs and nobody's there to call the shots.

Kensi wasn't as forthcoming about her past, but they knew some of it. Her father had been murdered when she was fifteen, and the cops needed dental records to identify him. She used to be engaged to a Marine, but after he came back from a tour with PTSD, it all fell apart. He was gone by Christmas. This turned her into the ice queen, the tough girl, wearing a diamond shield that tried to protect whatever was left of her heart and trust in humanity.

Deeks is just as silent, but recent events shed some light on his past. He'd shot his abusive father at the age of eleven, self-defense against a shotgun. He had many bad men who wanted him dead. And his previous partner had been killed because their boss was a dirty cop. This turned him into the trickster, the joker, donning a gold-plated iron mask that hid all the darker parts of his soul from others.

Intel-wise, this was slim pickings. Eric and Nell wouldn't even send their team in with this little information about the people involved.

But when you applied what you knew to what you saw, they knew it explained so much more about their teammates.

Callen was a lone wolf, but if you threatened his "family" you got a bullet straight between the eyes.

Sam was intimidating and cool, but if you threatened his team, he'll lose that calm and turn into your worst nightmare.

Kensi puts up her walls and locks her heart away, but when she is tired and willing to try, her defenses can drop for only the people closest to her.

Deeks hides behind his smile and cocky humor, but when all bets were off, he sheds that mask and turns deadly.

They all had something in their pasts that made them who they are. Known or unknown, what happened to them shaped each of them into who they are today.

They all have one thing in common - whatever is in their pasts, they do not like talking about it. No matter what.

Still waters run deep.

* * *

It came to Eric one day as he was updating some of the team's aliases.

He knew almost nothing of Nell's past.

_Strange_, he thought. Her partner for a year, and yet he knew very little about her life before joining OSP.

He knew NCIS recruited her straight out of college, and that as a child she ignored the boys she liked. Other than that, everything else was vague.

Odd, since he knew a little about everyone else on the team.

Then again, they didn't share much without a reason.

But it made him curious.

* * *

_Everyone has a past_. _Some dark, some unknown, and some secret._

_But it never changes. And it is never forgotten_.

* * *

**This turned into a team-centric ficlet when I wasn't looking. I apologize. Review please!**

**5...**


	47. Sharing

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #46: Sharing - "Now now, children," Callen teased, finding them in a questionable position in a totally innocent game of Keep-Away the Keyboard, "didn't you ever learn to share your toys?"**

**Words: 807**

* * *

"It is a perfectly simple question," Hetty said, regarding her two techs severely over the rims of her glasses. "What is going on in here?"

Eric and Nell glanced at each other, trying to think of how to best describe the chain of events that led them to this moment...

* * *

It started out a normal day. Case came in, the team was briefed and set loose to fight crime. Hetty returned to her desk, leaving Eric and Nell alone in Ops awaiting fresh intel to dissect and identify.

Then another intelligence analyst came in, bearing an armful of paperwork. Eric saw the size of the stack and groaned. "Aw, dammit. That can't be all mine, can it?"

"I'm 'fraid so, Eric," replied the analyst. "All the paperwork from your last undercover op."

Nell winced. "Ouch. That much for only two hours in the field?"

"When it includes six explosion, a hostage situation, and two stolen LAPD vehicles, yeah." Patting Eric's shoulder with a weak smile, the analyst left the partners alone.

Eric sighed heavily as he grabbed a pen and got to work. "I hate you," he said casually.

"Why me?" Nell asked.

"Because I have to do all this and you don't."

"Hey, you went into the field. I just talked your ear off." She pushed her chair over to his side. "But I wouldn't want my partner to lose his hand to carpal tunnel. Want my help?"

He gratefully shoved half the stack towards her. They started working, and for a few minutes there were no sounds other than pens scratching against the paper. But then Nell, with a grin on her face, poked his cheek with her pen. He looked up at her with a startled look on his face. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, so you're going to play that game, huh?" He poked her shoulder with his pen, but she quickly blocked with hers. They froze, then Eric snickered, "The pen is mighter than the sword."

"Is it now?"

That, of course, was tantamount to a challenge. The techs began dueling with their pens, using fancy footwork and flourishing their tiny weapons like they were in a swashbuckler movie. Laughter rang out in Ops as they play-fought their way around the room, the stacks of paperwork forgotten.

Then Eric grabbed his wireless keypad and started using it as a shield. Nell wouldn't have that, so she tried grabbing it. This turned the pen-sword fight into an impromptu game of Keep-Away. It wasn't really a far game since Eric did have a good couple inches over Nell, but she was fast enough to make it a challenge for him.

What happened next wasn't entirely planned out. Or expected.

Nell was bouncing around him like a puppy begging for a bone, her fingers grasping for the keypad. Eric was laughing as he stretched his arms higher to keep the keypad just out of her reach.

As focused as he was on Nell, Eric wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. Backing away from her, he accidentally tripped over the spokes of his wheeled chair just as Nell made another lunge for the keypad. The result of both actions cause Eric to collapse in his chair with Nell straddling his lap, arms draped over his shoulders still reaching for the keypad. Both techs froze, eyes wide in shock at the sudden change and awkwardness in their positions.

Luckily - or unluckily, whatever the case was - Hetty walked into Ops during the five-second shock interval before they could seperate.

Which brought them back to the present...

* * *

"Mister Beale, Miss Jones," Hetty said gravely, "what exactly have you been up to?"

The techs shared a startled look as they realized the exact same thing. No matter what they said, there was no way to really explain what had happened. Not to Hetty's satisfaction.

"It started out as paperwork..." Eric began.

Nell shrugged. "Then it was a sword-fight..."

"Then it was Keep-Away..."

Hetty shook her head. "I should have known," she sighed. "Can you please tone down your juvenile antics for another time? The team will be calling in soon with new information."

"Yes, Hetty," they replied contritely as she left. They looked at each other, then Nell started to get off of her partner's lap without making it too uncomfortable.

But she secretly wished she could stay there.

And unbeknownst to her, Eric was wishing the exact same thing.

* * *

**Awww, cute! Review please!**

**4...**


	48. Instant

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #47: Instant - There's an instant, almost missed, when she looks up and he looks down and their mouths are just millimeters apart...**

**Words: 1,354**

* * *

Life is full of moments. Fleeting, almost indistinguishable from one to the next, but for some, it only takes one moment to define a life.

Instants are even quicker. And for some, they're even more profound. But being quicker, they're harder to remember.

They're even harder to catch.

* * *

It was only for an instant, but Eric swore he heard something in his partner's voice.

He watched her talk to Hetty. She seemed alright, but there was a catch in her voice that caught his attention. It hadn't been obvious, but - _there! _There it was again.

She was about to cry. But for what, he wasn't sure. Even though she was a tech, Nell was as good as any agent when it came to hiding her emotions. She wouldn't give up anything without a fight.

But Eric wasn't about to quit before taking a shot at it.

He had a good idea why she was so shaky. Their most recent case had involved a young woman who'd lost her Navy sweetheart, and Nell had bonded with the woman. It had helped nail the Ensign's killer, but Nell had been withdrawn and quiet ever since Jessica left the boathouse. He knew they'd exchanged words, but he hadn't asked about what because it wasn't his place.

Eric wasn't sure what he could do for Nell, but he knew she was his partner, and he would do anything to put a smile back on his partner's face.

He was worried about her, and he cared about her enough to do something about it.

* * *

For an instant, Nell thought she saw something in her partner's eyes.

She was just finished talking Hetty down from worrying about her, and there was Eric standing by the staircase with an unreadable expression on his face. Her eyes widened slightly, knowing that she had to pass him in order to get to the safety of Ops.

Hetty was one thing. Eric was another. He could see through her sometimes, and Nell didn't want that scrutiny right now. She wanted her thoughts to be her own for a while longer, just until she got them settled.

Jessica Walters was a lonely woman who had the unfortunate luck of being best friends with a Navy Ensign who was killed for access to a submarine he was due to report to for duty. She'd been taken into custody because Ensign Cutler had given her an important flashdrive before he'd been killed. Nell had been called in to decrypt the drive's passcodes with the help of the Ensign's best friend, who could easily guess the codes from how well she'd known Cutler.

But what had Nell trying to hide her emotions was what Jessica had said after the case was settled and the killer brought to justice. "I never told Adam what he really meant to me," she'd confided to Nell. "We're best friends, but I...I _felt _something for him, real strong feelings, and I never...I never told him, because I was afraid of what it would do to our relationship." She'd choked back a sob, then covered her eyes when she admitted, "I loved him, and now he'll never know."

Those words struck a chord within Nell. A chord that continued to echo inside her even as Hetty questioned her and Eric walked with her back up to Ops.

A chord that said, _It could be you next. Or it could be him._

* * *

"She's all alone."

Eric looked over at her, surprised at the first words she'd spoken in hours. As they registered, his eyes softened. "You mean Jessica?"

"She never told Ensign Cutler how she really felt," Nell said, still staring at her screen as her hands dropped off the keyboard and into her lap. "They were friends, best friends, but she never told him that she loved him. She kept it inside because she didn't want to ruin their friendship." Her hands curled into fists. "She didn't tell him, and that's something she'll always regret, Eric. She'll go through the rest of her life wondering about what would have happened if she'd told him she loved him."

He sat back from his console. Nell was being very open right now, but she was also emotionally worn out. That catch was back in her voice, and now that he knew it, Eric could tell she was about to cry.

Nell saw that same flicker in his eyes as before. A flicker of something - warm, and caring. She shuddered involuntarily, not daring to believe what it was she'd seen. _It was only for an instant, _she chided herself. _Don't try and fool yourself into thinking something that isn't possible_.

"If she knew Cutler was going to die today," she said suddenly, "do you think she would've told him?"

Eric thought for a few seconds. He had a suspicion that they weren't talking about Jessica Walters and Ensign Cutler anymore, so he decided to think about her question seriously. "I think," he said after a time, "that she might have, if she knew. But that's a what if moment, Nell. Regrets are just that - big "what if's" that we carry around with us when we miss that moment." He looked at her. "It doesn't do any good thinking about what you'd do differently. What's done is done. You can't change it. You can only learn from it."

Suddenly unable to sit still, Nell got up and walked across the room. She wrung her hands anxiously, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say next. Sensing her discomfort, Eric stood up as well but made no move to walk towards her.

Silence descended over the partners, pregnant with expectations. This was it.

When she spoke, Nell's voice was soft and shaking. "I just can't - I mean...Eric, he was her best friend."

"Wanna know what I think?" Eric asked, stepping closer. "I think he was afraid of the exact same thing. He was afraid that she didn't feel the same way."

"If he'd just told her..." Nell insisted.

"He had no sure bet, Nell. He didn't know what we know." Eric kept his voice gentle as he turned his partner to face him. "He didn't know...what she felt for him. If she felt the same for him. If she felt it at all for him."

She looked up at him at the same time he looked down. Her eyes were overbright, tears dripping from her lashes and running down her cheeks. Without thinking, Eric reached up and rubbed her cheeks dry with the pad of his thumb. She sniffed, trying to keep the sobs inside.

Eric tried to finish his thought. "He didn't know..."

But Nell finished it for him. "How it would turn out. And neither did she. She didn't..."

"Know either," he completed.

For an instant, they stared into each other's eyes.

For an instant, there was nothing hiding their feelings for each other. Everything was laid bare.

They both moved forward. They both took that next step.

* * *

Life is full of instants. Some you can catch, some you never want to repeat again. Some you want to remember for a lifetime.

When their lips touched for the first time, Eric and Nell both wanted this moment to last for all time.

And even when it ended (some five minutes later when they came up for air) they knew they'd get more time.

They had all the time in the world.

* * *

**Angst, then fluff, then a Kiss! Yes, I had to. They sooooo desperately need one.**

**Review please!**

**3...**


	49. Skype

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #48: Skype - While in New York to help out on a cross-juristictional case, she's so glad that he's always just a click away.**

**Words: 999**

* * *

Nell looked out the window of her hotel room, staring at the bright lights of New York City. Even at one in the morning, they gleamed like diamonds in the darkness. They were similar, and yet so different from the city lights of Los Angeles.

Again Nell felt homesick. Everything about New York was wrong, to her way of thinking. It was cold all the time. Everyone was always pale, and in business suits. Nobody owned a surfboard, and everyone carried a briefcase. It was like she'd been plucked out of reality and dropping in the Twilight Zone.

_Damn time zone difference, _she thought, scowling at the buildings. She was still on Los Angeles time, which was three hours behind New York, which meant it was only...ten o'clock back home. _Goddammit. _She rubbed her eyes and got up from her chair, deciding to try and lie down on her bed in an effort to get drowsy.

But even going horizontal wasn't helping her jet lag. Groaning, she rolled over and buried her head in a pillow. She missed her own bed, with her own pillows, her own blankets.

She missed LA, and the beach, and warm temperatures. She missed surfing, and suntans, and rollerskating down the boardwalk.

She missed Ops.

She missed the team.

She missed Eric.

A light trilling ring suddenly echoed from her computer. Sitting up, Nell saw a window open and an icon blink. _Speak of the devil, _she thought in astonishment. She got up and clicked CONNECT. "I was just thinking about you," she confessed.

"_What a surprise. I was just thinking about you too,_" Eric replied with a grin. "_How's the Big Apple, rockstar?_"

"I love NYC," she quipped dryly as she dropped into the chair. Resting her elbow on the desk, she propped up her chin and smiled weakly. "But I do miss sunny LA. And you."

Eric blushed and gave a small grin. "_How's the case coming along? Making any headway that can speed up your homecoming?_"

"Ugh, I wish. We're still waiting on evidence processing, and they won't let me touch the data until they triple-check it for worms or Trojans or whatever other nasty bug they think it could be carrying. I probably won't get a crack at it til the day after tomorrow."

"_Ouch,_" he said, wincing in sympathy. "_Well, cheer up babe. At least you can go shopping._"

Nell couldn't stop the smile on her face. "Yeah, I can just blow through hundreds of dollars in one of the most extravagent cities in the U.S. of A. During Fashion Week." All the models walking the street had made Nell very conscious about how small and girlish she looked in comparison to those international bombshells. "That would go over nicely with Hetty."

"_I'm sure you'd find something absolutely stunning,_" Eric assured her. His blue eyes glinted in the lights of Ops. "_Now you should get some sleep, Nell. It's one in the morning there, isn't it?_"

"Almost two," she admitted. "But I can't sleep." She sighed again, then reached to touch the computer screen. "I wish you could've come with me. I bet we could've spun a story that Hetty would've believed."

Her partner snorted a good few times as he laughed. "_Yeah right, Nell. The day we successfully con Henrietta Lange will be the day that marshmellows rain from the skies and we all fly on dragons. Besides, one of us has to hold down the fort while the other swoops in to save our East Coast counterparts' techie butts._"

"There are other analysts who could take over," Nell argued. But her tone was playful. She knew he was right. One of them had to man the booth. But she was so lonely, and he was on the other side of the country. She missed him.

It must've showed on her face, because Eric then said, "_How about this? When you get back, we'll go out somewhere really nice. Actual restaurant, classy establishment._"

Nell smiled with astonished gratitude. "You'd actually ditch your flip-flops and adhere to a dress code? For me?"

"_Course I would, rockstar._" Something beeped, and he glanced to another screen. "_Eh, gotta go Nell. Something's starting to move over here._"

"Okay. Get home at a reasonable hour tonight," she ordered him sternly. "No sleeping in Ops for codebreaking. The computers can do it themselves."

He pouted, his lower lip trembling in an adorable show of pathetic puppy-dog. "_You're ordering me back to our empty apartment? Harsh, Miss Jones, very harsh. And after all I went through to Skype you._"

"You'll survive, Eric." A yawn threatened to crack her jaw apart, so she gave him a sleepy smile. "I think I'm tired now. I'll be going to bed myself."

"_Come home soon._" The teasing and the pout was gone, replaced with a genuine wistful smile. "_I miss not having you around, Nell._"

Nell pressed two fingers to her lips, then put them on the screen over his lips. "Here's something to keep you going," she said. "Pick me up at LAX when this is all over and you'll get a real one."

"_You got a date._" He winked. "_Night, Nell._"

"Night, Eric." She disconnected and closed her laptop, got up and dressed for bed. Taking one last look at the fabulous New York City skyline, she snuggled in the hotel bed and closed her eyes with a smile.

* * *

**A little relationshippy-ness! So cute...god, the cavaties are enormous! Review!**

**2...**


	50. Cat

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA._**

**Prompt #49: Cat - It was not fair, seeing her in an all-black ensemble skintight jeans, shirt, boots, and cat ears at work on Halloween. The innocent smile she gave him didn't help either.**

**Words: 657**

* * *

Eric had a bad feeling when he walked into the Mission on All Hallow's Eve.

For one, the team was smirking at him. Deeks, Kensi, Sam, Callen, even Hetty. They were exchanging grins like Christmas had come early on this fine October day, and it was frankly beginning to scare Eric. The last time those five conspired together, Nate ended up with one hell of a going-away party involving shaving cream, a parrot, and five liters of quality hard liquor.

For another, Nell was not among them. That could only mean one thing - she was actually going to be the one springing the surprise on him. Eric cast a glance up to the door of Ops, swallowing hard and trying not to show his nervousness. Whatever the team was grinning about, Nell was at the heart of it. And she was already here; he knew that, because she'd left before him and her car was parked in the lot outside.

_Mischief Night was last night, so I don't think she'll prank me too badly_, Eric reassured himself as he climbed the steps. _Then again, she's got a wicked sense of humor. _He was dreading April Fool's Day this year; Deeks had been bad before, but if Nell decided to join forces with him, nobody in the Mission would be safe from the duo.

"Morning Eric," Sam said cheerily as the Tech Operator passed through the bullpen to reach coffee.

Eric looked at him warily. "Um, hi Sam."

"Happy Halloween, Eric," Kensi piped up from her desk, a giant grin on her face.

Deeks looked like the Cheshire Cat, his grin was so smugly huge. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

_Okay, they're definitely waiting for me to go into Ops. _Eric kept his poker face on as he poured himself coffee and poured a cup for Nell again. _I'm almost scared to check on her_. Steeling himself, he picked up the coffee and started up the steps to his tech hub of knowledge.

The doors sensed his presence and swished open. Eric entered carefully, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.

What he saw at Nell's workstation was the very definition of "out of the ordinary."

She was in all black. Black skinny jeans, black boots, black v-neck shirt, all tight and revealing very curve of her body. Her hair was hanging loose, stark against the black palette, and she wore a headband that sported perky black ears. From the back of her jeans hung a slim, fluffy appendage.

Eric whistled. "Wow. What's new, pussycat?"

She glanced over at him, then smiled at him. Surprise was his first reaction - there was not a trace of jokes in her grin. She had no ulterior motive. That did not help him in the least.

"Is that coffee? Awesome," she said, reaching for it gratefully. "I left so early that I couldn't grab one before getting here."

He handed it over. "Um, Nell? You're wearing, uh - "

"Like my costume?" she asked. She brought one hand up to mimic a cat licking its paw. "I just threw it together this morning. Isn't it classic? Black cat for Halloween. If Kensi decided to dress up as a witch we'd be a matching set." Then she seemed to consider her own words. "But then again, it wouldn't really work."

"Why not?" Eric asked. "I think it's a cute idea."

In response, Nell pointed to her neck. Around her neck was belted a red collar; hanging from it was a shiny name tag. When Eric read it, he felt heat pool in his abdomen.

_Property of Eric Beale. Please return if found_.

* * *

**SOOOOOOO cute! Review please, this one has been one of the squee-est I've written in a while.**

**1...**


	51. Partners

**Disclaimer: I don't own _NCIS: LA _or any characters.**

**Prompt #50: Partners - At first, he didn't know how to deal with her and she didn't know how to work with him. Now, they can't imagine how they ever worked before without each other.**

**Words: 1,175**

* * *

Some people are unsure of what they want out of life. Others know from day one what they want from it. Still others ho-hum along until what they want smacks them right in the face and says, "HEY! Look at this!"

And then there's Eric Beale and Nell Jones.

They were of the people who _thought _they knew they had what they wanted.

Seperately, they were amazing. Intelligent, resourceful, tech-savvy, and talented enough to do their jobs quickly, efficiently, and with enough desktop space to update their Facebook statuses. They were the best. They were confident about that. They also believed that they worked best alone.

Then they were thrown together by one Henrietta Lange, and that belief was stress-tested to the limit.

* * *

In the beginning, Eric didn't like her.

She was overly cheery, annoying, cut him off and finished his thoughts, and even stole his whistle. In one week, he was ready to strangle her.

Everyone could tell. It was the worst kept secret in the whole Mission. Nell Jones was pissing off Eric Beale. People were beginning to take bets on how fast she'd be gone.

But slowly, she began to grow on him. He found she was quirky, and sweet, and just a little bit adorable.

It got to the point that, if she wasn't in Ops, Eric found himself wondering where she was.

* * *

In the beginning, Nell couldn't work with him.

He was sloppy, annoying, got mad at the slightest provocation, and always looked like he was ready to smack her. In one week, she was ready to scream.

But she kept it to herself. She knew she'd been handed an opportunity very few people were made aware of. No way was she going to blow it because of some childish bickering. She was trying as hard as she could to belong as it was.

In time, however, she learned how to adapt. She found he was clever, and funny, and just a tiny bit cute.

Soon she was at the point where, if he was late, Nell would wait until he got there before starting on her work.

* * *

A series of events made them realize just how handicapped they've become when they're seperated.

When Eric was trapped in the satellite testing chamber, Nell tried to get him out from Ops, but couldn't. If Callen hadn't hit the override button when he did, Eric would've been frelted for sure. She trembled for a good couple minutes as she tried to come to grips with the fact that, alone, she couldn't save Eric.

When Nell had been attacked in her own home, Eric had to fight off a hacker from breaching OSP's mainframe all by himself while trying to trace said hacker at the same time. If Nell's program hadn't started up when it did, the hacker would've gotten in for sure. He was fairly jittery for the next hour while trying to understand that, alone, he couldn't have succeeded.

Little by little, they begin to realize that they've become dependent on each other. Two loners, each a whiz at their own specialities, had become so closely meshed that if they were seperated, their effectiveness was cut in half.

That was a little scary. If on-the-job performance was affected by that, what did that say about the partners themselves?

* * *

They're attached. Only way to explain it. Eric and Nell have become attached to one another. It's present in a number of ways.

It was present in their jealousy. He overtly worried about her when she announced she was dating a man. She was slightly miffed when he made a big deal of reading Abby Sciuto's weekly blog.

It was present in their actions. When she showed up to work with tears in her eyes and bruises under her makeup, he wanted to slaughter the one responsible. When he ended up in the hospital defending her honor, she want to simultaneously punch him silly and kiss him senseless.

It was present in their reactions. She'd been kidnapped, and he'd done everything humanly and technologically possible (and not entirely legal) to find her and bring her home. He was home across the country, and she'd worked her fingers to the bone so she could catch the earliest flight home to him.

In their business, it's almost always a bad idea to get attached to someone. Particularly someone in the same business. Especially your partner.

_Almost always _are the key words there. Not _always_.

Then again, there are part of a very clandestine branch of NCIS, operating under a very unorthodox leadership.

* * *

They were decrypting some very routine data when Nell suddenly said, "You know, we're pretty good."

Eric nodded. "I agree."

"I mean, we're good together." She sat back in her chair and looked at her partner. "We're solid, and fast, and efficient."

He likewise looked at her. "Yeah. Why are you suddenly stating the obvious?"

"No reason," she shrugged. "It's just...well, when we first started working together, I never thought it would happen, to tell you the truth."

Eric grinned. "Little secret? Neither did I," he confessed. "You were really annoying."

"Hey! You weren't a model employee either," Nell retorted with her own smile.

He reached over and laced his fingers between hers. "But you stayed."

"Of course I did," she said. "I'm stubborn that way." She squeezed his hand tightly. "You made it hard for me, didn't you?"

"Of course," Eric chuckled. "I'm stubborn that way too."

Nell leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "Good thing you're cute too," she whispered as she pulled away. With one last wink, she went back to work.

"You're lucky you're so adorable," Eric said. "I let you get away with murder."

"Nah, Hetty wouldn't like that. She doesn't like messes."

Both techs laughed and went back to working on code.

* * *

Yeah, they were attached all right.

But nobody minded. In fact, everyone was pulling for them to stay together.

Once upon a time, only Hetty's order had kept them from beating each other to death with their wireless keyboards.

Now, it took nothing short of impending disaster to seperate them.

Eric and Nell once thought that they knew what they wanted. They thought that they had it. Then they met each other.

Now they _knew _that they had what they've always wanted.

* * *

**And now, I complete this compilation!**

**T_T so much love in this one, I'm so sad it's done...**

**Please keep reading my other installments!**


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